Basketball Championships

And the moral of that story is . . . No, the Phil Jackson Five didn't prevail over the Sacramento Kings by dint of the superior sophistication of its fans, or the divine right of Laker teams. Despite comments to the contrary, these aren't cultural competitions in which everyone has a civic duty to demean the opposing team, city and fans. Hopefully, we all like where we live, which should be good enough. After all, this is Southern California.

State championships Saturday at Sacramento's Power Balance Pavilion Boys Division I Santa Ana Mater Dei (33-2) vs. Sacramento Sheldon (29-5), 8 p.m. The Monarchs are seeking a record ninth state title under Coach Gary McKnight. This is a team built to do well in an arena setting. The Monarchs' trio of Katin Reinhardt, Xavier Johnson and Stanley Johnson can use their versatility to create lots of matchup problems. Sheldon rallied from 17 points down to win its regional final.

There are so many private schools traveling to Sacramento for the state basketball championships that the charter bus companies might have to call in reinforcements to make sure they have enough luxury vehicles with air conditioning, DVDs and leather seats. Seventeen of the 20 teams in the state championship games Friday and Saturday at Power Balance Pavilion are from private schools. It seems as if the pope has made an edict for Catholics to become good in basketball. How else to explain St. Bernard, Mater Dei, St. Joseph Notre Dame, Bishop O'Dowd, St. Mary's, Archbishop Mitty, St. Joseph and De La Salle all playing for state titles?

Max Guercy's journey in high school basketball ends Saturday in the Division III state championship game in Sacramento. What an appropriate setting for a senior point guard from Mission Hills Alemany whose resilience and perseverance have helped turn skeptics into believers. "From the beginning of the season, I played with a chip on my shoulder," he said. "This year, I've been able to win. The schools that have offered me scholarships, they're seeing that size doesn't matter and know I can play.

After discovering that the San Diego Sports Arena was unavailable for the section basketball championships, commissioner Kendall Webb was notified Monday that San Diego State's Peterson Gym also is not available. Golden Hall now is the next facility on Webb's list of possibilities. A men's volleyball match and two women's basketball games are scheduled February 28 and March 1-3 at Peterson Gym, the dates Webb requested. The Sports Arena is unavailable March 1-3.

Senior center Pam Coffey scored 19 points, including two baskets in the final minutes, and had 12 rebounds to lead Lompoc to a 61-57 victory over Chino in the Southern Section 2-A girls' basketball title game Friday at Cerritos College in Norwalk. The victory gave Lompoc a 26-2 record and its first Southern Section title and advanced the Braves to the Southern California Division II regionals Wednesday against an undetermined opponent.

After having everything go his way for a half, Santa Margarita forward Brad Finneran was beginning to unravel under the pressure of Servite's swarming defense. The disgusted look on Finneran's face said it all. "I was mad at myself after turning it over twice," he said. "I was careless with the ball. Brian (Finneran) told me about it. I realized I had to slow it down and take my time." Finneran didn't exactly slow it down. If anything, he picked up the pace.

Southern California high schools have dominated the State Division I boys' basketball tournament, having won all seven championship games against Northern regional champions since California adopted the current playoff format in 1982. But Coach Willie West of Crenshaw High School, whose Cougars will play Oakland Skyline tonight at 8:15 at the Oakland Coliseum for the Division I title, does not believe that Southern California holds a decided edge over Northern California in the level of play.

Lisa Weaver rocked in her chair and shook her legs as she waited, impatiently, for her cue. Her confidence soaring from recent success, Weaver, a junior, was eager to enter the Southern Section Division II-AA girls' championship game. The Woodbridge reserve forward believed that she could provide the spark to help Woodbridge overpower Hemet. Weaver promised herself that if her opportunity came, it would not go wasted. Promise kept.

At the beginning of the season, Coach Randolph Simpson said Manual Arts High should not be overlooked just because two of his All-City basketball players had graduated. Simpson countered that Manual Arts might be even better this season, despite having only two starters back from a City Division 4-A boys' championship team that finished 26-4. The coach's prediction might be accurate. His team is preparing to meet Westchester in the City 4-A title game Friday night at 8:30 at the Sports Arena.

When the state basketball championships are held this weekend in Sacramento, it once again will look like a party for private schools, with eight of the 10 boys' teams being from private schools. But the real intrigue comes with a closer look at what binds the five Southern California Regional champions together: Each team's roster has at least one top transfer student. Transfers have become the most important ingredient to propel a school to Sacramento. In Division I, Santa Ana Mater Dei has senior Xavier Johnson, who came from Temecula Chaparral after his sophomore year, along with junior Elijah Brown, who arrived this season when his father, Mike Brown, became Lakers coach.

EUROPEAN BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP When: Wednesday through Sept. 18 Where: Lithuania. TV: ESPN2 will televise the championship game Sept. 18. At Stake: Twenty-four teams are entered. The two teams that play for the championship are guaranteed berths in the 2012 Summer Olympics. Teams that finish third through sixth earn spots in another qualifying tournament. Defending champion (2009): Spain. Top NBA players: Germany: Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas)

It could be the European getaway that never ended, or at least one that stretched into 2012. Pau Gasol and Chris Kaman were among a small army of NBA players who arrived in Lithuania this week for the 24-team European Basketball Championship, with no apparent need to hurry back. The NBA lockout is about to enter a third month and neither side has budged. That means the Lakers' Gasol, the Clippers' Kaman, et al., could be playing in Europe and other far-flung places next week . . . next month . . . next year.

One last chance for mankind. . . . No, it's not Godzilla, King Kong, Frankenstein, Dracula or Norman Bates' mother, but the Miami Heat, the most hated, hyped, mocked, given-up-for-dead ratings magnet the NBA ever had the good fortune to see unjustly accused. If NBA fans might root for alternate life forms against the Heat, like the one with all the teeth that pops out of John Hurt's stomach in "Alien," one last champion for Our Kind remains standing. . . . Mark Cuban?

There is more at stake this weekend at the Pond than championship rings and basketball memories. Southern California is hosting the state basketball championships for the first time since 1983, and only the second time ever. Only one Orange County school will be playing for a championship: Laguna Hills faces Newark Memorial for the girls' Division II title Friday night.