Westlake

Marymount High defeated Westlake, 15-12, 12-15, 15-13, 15-5, in a nonleague volleyball match Wednesday. Westlake (0-2) was paced by Dana Simone, April Devine and Sandy Kranz. Simone had 17 kills and five digs, while Devine and Kranz each had five kills.

There's nothing easy or predictable about the 40-team Southern Section Division 1 baseball playoffs that begin Tuesday with eight wild-card games. "The Division 1 games are a juggernaut," Coach Matt LaCour of No. 3-seeded Studio City Harvard-Westlake said. "Single-elimination playoffs are about a team getting hot at the right time and having a little luck. " Santa Ana Mater Dei (24-2) ended the regular season as the best team in Southern California and received the No. 1 seeding for the Division 1 playoffs.

The cover story "Crossroads" [June 7] gave a most colorful and in-depth description of the Westlake/MacArthur Park area. When I visit, I see the vibrant display of color; breathe in the aromas emanating from the wonderful mix of restaurants with their equally mixed ethnicities; and appreciate such establishments as RampART, the Park Plaza Hotel and the Hayworth Theatre. I admit, though, that Langer's deli is my first stop. How do I get to Westlake/MacArthur? It's so easy for me because I know the way. Why, oh, why, in such a beautiful article do you not show readers how convenient and swift it is to use the Metro's Red Line?

Mickey Rooney's waterfront house in a gated Westlake Village community has sold for $1.05 million. Built in 1976, the Traditional-style two-story includes a private boat dock. There are four bedrooms, three bathrooms and 2,413 square feet of living space. Grandest pool around? Malibu has it Rooney, 92, got his start as a child actor in silent films. His credits include “Babes in Arms” (1939), “National Velvet” (1944), “The Black Stallion” (1979) and “Night at the Museum” (2006)

Kareen Sandoval was among the first to spot her tree, a skinny little thing about 9 feet tall with dark shimmering leaves. "Look how beautiful you are," she said, reaching for the trunk. "I want you to grow big and strong and never get knocked down. " Along 8th Street in Westlake on Saturday, volunteers planted 62 trees, but this was about more than mere beautification. Every tree honored a mother from the neighborhood, each one a woman whose volunteer work has made a difference in Westlake and Pico-Union, just west of downtown Los Angeles.

If a defense was going to win Friday night's Marmonte League showdown between Westlake and Royal highs, it was supposed to be Royal's. But the Highlanders' league-leading defense helplessly watched from the sidelines as Westlake forced six turnovers on the way to a 21-7 victory at Moorpark College. Westlake (6-1, 4-0 in league play) is the only undefeated team in the Marmonte League. Royal (5-2, 3-1) is in a three-way tie for second with Agoura and Simi Valley.

This time it was different. The Harvard-Westlake High girls' basketball team didn't race out to a 30-point halftime lead as happened in the first meeting with Chaminade on Jan. 4. The Wolverines didn't even score 30 points in the first half. On Thursday night they had to settle for a 45-40 victory over the Eagles in a battle for first place in the Mission League at Chaminade. If the Eagles (16-3, 4-2) were searching for respect, they certainly found it.

Savanna's Sara Works scored 24 points, but had only eight in the second half as host Westlake blew open a close game to win, 47-38, in a second-round Division II-A girls' basketball playoff game Wednesday. Marlee Organ scored 17 points and Tracy Young added nine for Westlake (14-14), which outscored Savanna (13-13) by 11 points in the third quarter to take a 45-29 lead.

Over the past 12 seasons, Hilliard has compiled a 231-88 record and has led the Wolverines to two state Division III championships, seven league titles and eight playoff appearances. Four league titles came before the arrival of twins Jarron and Jason Collins.

In an effort to attack the prostitution problem in Westlake, the city attorney's office has obtained a permanent injunction setting strict conditions on the Alvarado Palms Motel. The motel's owners, De Chang Peng and his wife, Su Cheng Peng, of Torrance, avoided a trial related to a pending abatement lawsuit brought by the city when they agreed to operate under the conditions set forth in the injunction, said Maria Perez Manning, the deputy city attorney who handled the case.

When it comes to trendsetters, Thomas Hudnut will go down in history as the high school educator who proved students could excel in academics and athletics at the same time. As the headmaster when Studio City Harvard High School merged with the Westlake School for Girls in 1989 to become Harvard-Westlake, he decided to launch an all-out effort "to be as much like Stanford as we possibly could. " Sports was used to gain exposure and inspire a whole different element of students to consider Harvard-Westlake, known for its academic excellence.

Westlake Village, 38 miles west of downtown Los Angeles, seems farther. It straddles the Ventura County line, its golf courses, man-made lakes and gated estates sprinkled among gentle hills. Some weekend visitors golf. Some loll in the spa at the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village or chase immortality at the California Health & Longevity Institute. (David Murdock, the soon-to-be-90 founder of Dole Foods, owns the hotel and institute.) It's a good place to lie low. My wife, daughter and I spent $142 on lodging (one night, including tax)

After winning eight games in 10 days and capturing tournament championships in North Carolina and Orange County, it can be concluded that the streaking Santa Ana Mater Dei High baseball team is the No. 1 team in Southern California, if not the nation. The Monarchs (14-1) won their latest championship on Friday night, winning the Boras Classic Southern California championship with a 6-0 victory over Westlake Village Oaks Christian at JSerra High. It earns the Monarchs a trip next Saturday to the University of Pacific to play Northern California champion Pleasant Grove in a noon championship game.

If you haven't swooned over Dr. Joe Gannon of “Medical Center” then you haven't lived … in the early 1970s, that is. The estate of actor Chad Everett, whose name became synonymous with the dashing doctor, and his actress-wife, Shelby Grant, has come on the market in Westlake Village at $3.795 million. The custom-built Mediterranean sits amid redwoods on a cul-de-sac surrounded by golf course.  The single-story estate features 1.78 acres of park-like grounds, a long circular driveway, a swimming pool and a four-car garage.

Charlie Wi has had enough of being a bridesmaid. He wants to get the toast, not give it, at the big banquet. It's not that he hasn't had success on the American pro golf tour. This is his eighth season and his bank account shows $9.1 million for his efforts. It is hard to feel sorry for anybody in that situation, but as Wi points out, "We play out here to win. " Wi has won nine tournaments, eight in Asia and one in Europe. In the good ol' USA, he has been second five times. Very good and also very frustrating.

Explaining how Encino Crespi continues to hold down first place in the Mission League basketball race is hard to do. The Celts have no one taller than 6 feet 3 in their starting lineup. Most predicted Crespi wouldn't finish higher than fifth place. But on Monday night, there was Crespi holding on for another victory, 69-66, over Studio City Harvard-Westlake to complete a sweep of the Wolverines. Crespi is 16-6 overall, 6-1 in league, and keeps finding ways to win. "We have people stepping up to make plays, and that's what we need to win," senior point guard London Perrantes said.

A man gently strummed a ukulele and sang "Aloha, Hawaii." Another read a telegram of encouragement from movie director Steven Spielberg. The visiting team draped leis around the necks of their shoulder-padded hosts. All who stepped before the microphone offered heartfelt thank-yous. Benevolence flowed freely before the start of Saturday's Hurricane Iniki Friendship Charity Bowl game between Waimea High of Kauai and host Westlake at Thousand Oaks High.

If Westlake High's boys basketball team wasn't already eliminated from the Marmonte League race after consecutive losses to Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, a loss Wednesday night against Channel Islands almost certainly would have done the job. Westlake, however, rebounded from its two-game skid by holding off a late Channel Islands charge and defeated the visiting Raiders, 70-59.

Donald E. Westlake's greatest literary creation, Parker, was first played on-screen by Lee Marvin in "Point Blank" (1967). Marvin's collaboration with first-time feature director John Boorman was wonderfully fertile, giving birth to some indelible cinematic moments. Boorman encouraged Marvin to remain so silent, to suppress his intentions so deeply, that costar Angie Dickinson became totally frustrated in their scenes. Finally, Boorman encouraged Dickinson to unleash her anger by physically attacking Marvin.

On a day 26 teams playing for Southern Section football championships came together for a luncheon in Long Beach, big news was made off the field with the announcement that football powers Ventura St. Bonaventure and Westlake Village Oaks Christian could be headed to new leagues in 2014. After years of debate over what leagues Oaks Christian and St. Bonaventure belong in, the Southern Section released its Area Placement for the 2014-18 releaguing cycle, and both schools were placed in the Catholic Athletic Assn., which means big changes ahead barring a successful appeal.