Century League

In other Century League game: Orange 67, Villa Park 60--Carlos Duran scored 25 points to lead the Panthers at Villa Park. Orange trailed by one point after three quarters but outscored Villa Park, 21-13, in the fourth. El Modena 63, Santa Ana Valley 51--Aaron Aguilera scored 16 points for El Modena (15-7, 6-1). George Alvarado scored a game-high 22 points for host Santa Ana Valley (2-14, 0-7).

The Villa Park High boys' basketball program hadn't had a winning season in 20 years when Kevin Reynolds took over as coach more than a decade ago. "Basketball was not a priority here," said Reynolds, a husky, independent auditor who is paid an annual stipend by the school. "Our mentality was that if we build up the program, kids will want to play for us." Reynolds' vision has been realized with 10 Century League championships in the last 12 years, two Southern Section championship-game appearances since 1997, and an impressive list of graduates who have played for major colleges.

In the Century League, high school baseball season is time to start thinking about championships. Sure, a league title would be nice, but teams in this league have higher aspirations. Teams now in the Century League have won section titles in six of the last eight years. Only once during that stretch -- 1998 -- has a team from the league failed to reach the championship game. Anaheim Canyon and Villa Park enter the season as the top two teams in the Southland, according to rankings by The Times.

The wrestling team at Orange El Modena presented a letterman's jacket to the family of slain team captain Diego Gonzalez Wednesday night in a brief, emotional ceremony preceding a Century League match against Placentia El Dorado. Gonzalez, the team's top returning wrestler, was shot and killed Nov. 10. Two suspects are in custody.

BASEBALL Eugene Edwards, Lakewood Mayfair: Had a two-out, RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning after tying the score with a home run in the sixth inning in a 7-6 Suburban League victory over Cerritos. Brandon Schnebly, Placentia El Dorado: Had four hits, including a three-run homer, and drove in five runs for the No. 11 Golden Hawks in a 12-3 Century League victory over No. 5 Anaheim Canyon.

BY THE NUMBERS 0 Points scored in fourth quarter of Orange Lutheran's 56-51 Empire League victory over La Palma Kennedy. Lutheran quarterback Casey Whieldon threw five touchdown passes to Anthony Vernaglia, four in the first half. Kennedy's Robert Becker threw for five touchdowns and 419 yards on 29-for-45 passing. 13 Combined fumbles by Anaheim and Santa Ana Century in the rain during Anaheim's 31-6 Orange League victory. Anaheim lost two of four fumbles and Century lost three of nine.

In the Century League: Villa Park 202, Foothill 214--At Strawberry Farms, Villa Park (12-4, 9-1) avenged an earlier defeat to Foothill and earned its eighth consecutive league championship. In South Coast League softball: Mission Viejo 5, San Clemente 4--April Marine's infield hit off the pitcher's glove drove in the winning run in the seventh for the host Diablos (7-15, 2-3). In Century League boys' swimming: No.