Newport Harbor girls soccer shuts out Huntington Beach to stay unbeaten in Sunset League

• January 24, 2025

HUNTINGTON BEACH — The Newport Harbor girls soccer team had plenty to celebrate after its 2-0 victory over Huntington Beach in a Sunset League match Thursday at Huntington Beach High School.

The victory kept Newport Harbor (13-2-3, 5-0) undefeated in league play and in position to win the Sunset title.

Newport Harbor, the fourth-ranked team in the county, has not allowed a goal in league play and kept the shutout streak alive thanks to a diving save by goalkeeper Cooper Dick on a penalty kick with under two minutes remaining in the match.

The victory also set the stage for a showdown for Newport Harbor against league rival Los Alamitos (10-5-3, 4-0) on the final day of the regular season, Tuesday, Jan.28, at Newport Harbor.

The league champion earns a first-round bye in the inaugural league tournament, which takes place Jan. 30 to Feb.5, the week prior to the CIF Southern Section playoffs starting.

No. 6 Los Alamitos defeated Edison, 2-1, on Thursday and has a makeup match against Marina on Saturday prior to taking on the Sailors.

“That’ll be an absolute dogfight,” Newport Harbor coach Justin Schroeder said of the Los Alamitos match. “We’re looking forward to it. We don’t look past any games, but we’ve definitely had that one circled and want to get to that game in first place. That is definitely something we have talked about.”

The No. 7 Oilers (10-3-4, 2-2) play their final two league matches against Fountain Valley and Corona del Mar.

The Sailors scored less than 30 seconds into the match when Caroline Harner curved a pass from about 30 yards out from the right sideline to the left side of the goal, where Skylie Cid was in a position to knock the ball into the net.

“I was just running back post hoping to go off her,” Cid said. “I was thinking I’d be in the right spot.”

That goal was the only one Newport Harbor needed, but the Sailors gave themselves a cushion in the 56th minute, when Abbi Clapp crossed a pass to Natalie McCarty who kicked the ball into the net.

“I just saw Abbi wide open on that line,” McCarty said. “I knew she was going to take it down and play me the ball in the middle. So, I just tried to get in the right spot and find it and get it in the goal.”

The Oilers’ best scoring chance came on Baily Oliver’s penalty kick in the final minutes of the match.

Dick dove to her right her right and knocked the ball away, keeping the shutout streak alive.

The junior keeper said she knew her team hadn’t given up many goals throughout the season but was unaware of the scoreless streak in league matches prior to the penalty kick.

“Everyone knows that on PKs, goalies have the short end of the stick,” Dick said. “I just tried my best to stay calm and not let my nerves get to the best of me and I just knew to stay confident in my choice of where to go and just read where the shooter was going and I think I just did that pretty well and executed well and I just came out with the save.”

​ Orange County Register 

Lakers beat Celtics with their own blueprint for signature victory

• January 24, 2025

LOS ANGELES — For most of the season, the Lakers have dominated the league’s worst teams and struggled against most teams around or higher than them in the standings.

This was evident by their 12-1 record against below .500 teams and 11-17 record against teams above .500 entering Thursday.

But the Lakers flipped the script, at least for one night, and they did so against one of the league’s best teams, pulling off a dominant 117-96 victory over the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena for their best win of the season.

The Lakers (24-18) controlled the game against the Celtics (31-14) early with their defensive switching, limiting Boston’s league-leading 3-point shooting for most of the competitive portions of the game.

“That was one of, if not our best games in terms of executing our defensive game plan,” Coach JJ Redick said. “Not overreacting to [Kristaps] Porziņģis making a few turnaround jumpers. Like I said pregame, you have to be willing to live with stuff. Because of the way we wanted to guard them, it also required a lot on-ball in terms of staying in front and forcing off-the-dribble jumpers.

“And it required a lot from our shifts and it required a lot from our low man to stay out of the blender. It’s a credit to my staff for sure, as we talked through things over the last 24 hours and it’s a credit to our guys for executing at a high level.”

And on the other end of the court, the Lakers played with energy and pace and got contributions from many.

Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 24 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots in 31 minutes. LeBron James had 20 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes after being selected for his 21st consecutive All-Star Game earlier in the day.

“We had a game plan and we executed it,” James said. “For the majority of 48 minutes, we executed it. We know it’s a great team, defending champions, great players and they’re gonna put you in situations that’s uncomfortable, but you have to be uncomfortable in order to compete with them.”

Austin Reaves added 23 points (7-of-13 shooting, 4 for 8 from 3-point range), six assists and three rebounds.

Dalton Knecht (13 points) and Gabe Vincent (12 points, four assists) combined for 25 points off the bench.

The Lakers finished with 27 assists and shot 47.2% (42 for 89) from the field, making 11 of their 15 total 3-point baskets in the first half.

“The ball was popping, we were sharing the basketball,” Davis said. “The last couple of games we’ve been over 30 assists. Close to it [on Thursday]. But our assist opportunities as well have been really high. So, we’ve just been playing the right way, playing together, knowing that that’s what has gotten us wins this season.

“When you’re sharing the basketball like that, the ball is moving, guys have confidence knowing the ball is going to get to them. It’s just about making shots at that point.”

The Lakers led by as much as 28 points during the fourth quarter. They didn’t allow the Celtics, who entered Thursday averaging 117.7 points, to score more than 25 points in any of the first three quarters.

A Jaden Springer 3-pointer right before the final buzzer gave the Celtics 28 points in the fourth.

“The coaches did a good job of getting us prepped for these guys,” Davis said of the Lakers’ defensive performance. “They have a lot of isolation guys, guys that can score the basketball and as pros, and what we’ve been talking about the past couple days, we came in and executed it.”

Porziņģis had 22 points and seven rebounds to pace the Celtics (31-14), who were coming off an overtime win against the Clippers the previous night.

Jaylen Brown had 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists while All-Star forward Jayson Tatum finished with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists.

The Celtics, who average a league-high 49.1 3-point attempts per game, shot 14 for 41 from behind the arc.

The Lakers, who average the third-fewest 3-pointers, finished 15 for 35 from long range.

Before the Lakers’ loss to the Clippers on Sunday, Redick spoke about raising the team’s standards and expectations of one another every night.

There’s hope that Thursday’s win can not only raise the standard but also add internal belief to what this team can accomplish.

“Those guys, they know who Boston is,” Redick said. “They’re the world champions. They can go on a flurry and beat you in a number of ways. It’s terrifying. It’s terrifying as a coach to try to figure that out. Our guys understand that. They understand the respect you have to have for that type of opponent.

“And as much as this game could be about reinforcing and establishing those standards that we tried to as a group for 42 games, hopefully, there’s some reinforcement, maybe some establishment, but some belief that gets reinforced here about what we can be and how good we can be.”

​ Orange County Register 

Brandon Benjamin does it again, leads Canyon basketball to victory over Foothill

• January 24, 2025

SANTA ANA – Brandon Benjamin turned in another great performance Thursday, scoring 32 points for Canyon in a 65-38 win over Foothill in a Crestview League boys basketball game at Foothill High.

Benjamin, a 6-6 senior forward, went into the game averaging 31 points a game. He has scored 98 points over his past three games, including 40 points in a loss to Inglewood on Saturday and 36 in a 73-65 home win over Foothill on Tuesday.

The win put Canyon in sole possession of first place in the five-team Crestview League with a 4-1 league record. Crean Lutheran is at 3-1, including a home win over Canyon last week. Cypress is 2-3 after a win Tuesday over La Habra, which is also 2-3 in league. Foothill is 1-4.

Canyon is 19-5 overall and Foothill is 14-10.

All Crestview League teams are in the top half of this week’s Orange County Top 25. Crean Lutheran is No. 5, Canyon is No. 6 and Foothill, La Habra and Cypress are Nos. 9, 10 and 11, respectively.

Benjamin returned to Canyon for his senior year after spending his junior season at Mater Dei. Benjamin was the Orange County player of the year two seasons ago as a sophomore at Canyon.

Canyon coach Nate Harrison campaigned Thursday for another player of the year honor.

“If he’s not the best player in Orange County,” Harrison said, “it’s just because you don’t want to give it to him at this point, because he’s just incredible.”

Benjamin scored his 32 points on 16 2-point baskets. He took only one free throw and one 3-point shot, and missed both. And after missing his first four shots in the first quarter Benjamin still finished 16 of 27 from the floor, 59 percent.

He scored on short, quick-release jump shots in the lane and on his plethora of slick inside moves, left-handed and right-handed. Benjamin, who signed with University of San Diego, where former UCLA coach Steve Lavin is the coach, left the game with 5:08 remaining, the outcome clearly established.

Benjamin also guarded Foothill’s improving 6-11 senior Danny Kennard for much of Thursday’s game. Kennard led the Knights with 12 points, making 6 of his 10 shots.

Canyon took great care of the basketball. It committed only five turnovers, and three of those came in the fourth quarter when bench players got much of the playing time.

Defense was a major factor for Canyon. The Comanches held Foothill to single-digit scoring in the second and third quarters and forced six turnovers in the second quarter.

“Today I thought we played a lot more intense on defense,” Benjamin said. “When we played them on Tuesday we weren’t wanting it as much. We came out today and wanted it more.”

Canyon led the entire game. The Comanches had a 16-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. Benjamin scored 10 of Canyon’s 15 second-quarter points and the Comanches had a 31-19 lead at halftime.

Benjamin scored eight of Canyon’s 11 third-quarter points as the Comanches outscored Foothill 11-7 for a 42-26 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Canyon senior guard Staf Yilmazturk scored 9 points and reserve freshman guard Jonah Kim scored eight points for the Comanches.

Junior forward Braeden Davidson had seven rebounds for Foothill.

Canyon’s 27-point margin of victory was the largest of any Crestview League game this season.

Canyon and Foothill coaches had an unfriendly verbal exchange after the game, and some spectators jawed at each other postgame, too. It all went away after a couple of minutes.

Many Orange County boys basketball leagues were reworked coming into this season, but Foothill and Canyon remained together in what for many seasons has been a hot-blooded Crestview League.

“It’s a heated game every year,” Harrison said. “We have a lot of respect for them and for their program and for Yo (Foothill coach Yousof Etemadi). But we’re going to get after it here.”

Canyon plays a league home game Friday against Cypress.

Foothill’s next game is against Orange County No. 4 Los Alamitos in the Nike Extravaganza on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Mater Dei High. The Knights return to Crestview League action Tuesday at Crean Lutheran.

​ Orange County Register 

Fountain Valley girls basketball beats Corona del Mar to tighten race in Sunset League

• January 24, 2025

Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

FOUNTAIN VALLEY — Fountain Valley’s girls basketball team wanted redemption and a better position in the race for the Sunset League title.

The Barons got both Thursday night.

Point guard Victoria Om sparked a 9-0 run to open the second half and shooting guard Sophie Hsieh sank four 3-pointers as the Barons defeated visiting Corona del Mar 44-30 in a Sunset League game at Fountain Valley High.

Fountain Valley (15-6, 6-2), ranked No. 19 in Orange County, avenged a 47-45 loss at Corona del Mar in the first round of league and moved past the No. 17 Sea Kings for second place in league.

The Barons are a half-game behind first-place Los Alamitos (17-6, 7-1).

“We really wanted to win so we trained really hard every single practice,” said Om, a senior who scored a game-high 16 points. “This is the game that determined if we’re going to be able to continue to (contend in) league.”

Fountain Valley led 21-18 halftime. Om, a transfer from Orangewood Academy’s shuttered powerhouse girls program, ignited the surge in the third quarter with a steal and layup for a 23-18 lead.

Two of Fountain Valley’s post players then connected for a basket in the paint as Karley Waite fed Avery Jones.

After another steal and layup by Om, Hsieh made a 3-pointer to cap a 9-0 run and open a 30-18 lead.

Fountain Valley, implementing a new 3-2 zone defense, held Corona del Mar (14-9, 6-2) without a point in the third until 1:09 left the period.

Fountain Valley opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run. The surge was highlighted by a 3-pointer banked in by Om to beat the shot clock and a 3-pointer by reserve by Kaylie Sasaki.

“(Our) last game (against Corona del Mar) ended kind of bitter so we wanted to make sure we won this time around,” said Hsieh, who made 4 of 6 shots from beyond the arc. “This will really help our confidence.”

Fountain Valley made all three of its 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and finished 8 for 19 (42 percent).

Sasaki and Jones helped Fountain Valley’s bench outscore Corona del Mar’s reserves 9-3.

Om finished with six rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Senior post Kayly Honig scored 10 of her 14 points in the first half to lead Corona del Mar, which lost its second consecutive league game.

Sophomore Sawyer Blumenkranz added five points and nine rebounds.

Corona del Mar finished 3 of 26 from beyond the arc.

“We obviously couldn’t hit a shot in the third and we did ourselves no favors as the ball did not move,” said Corona del Mar coach Brason Alexander, whose team recovered from an early 9-1 deficit to lead twice in the second period. “We’re going to keep chopping wood.”

“(Om) is a really good player and was the difference,” the coach added.

On Tuesday, Marina (14-10, 5-3) defeated Corona del Mar 53-41 behind 29 points by Rylee Bradley.

​ Orange County Register 

Zverev into Australian Open final as Djokovic retires with leg injury

• January 24, 2025

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer

MELBOURNE, Australia — An injured Novak Djokovic quit because of a torn muscle in his left leg after dropping the first set of his Australian Open semifinal against Alexander Zverev on Friday (Thursday night PT).

Djokovic lost the opener 7-6 (5) and immediately walked around the net to concede the match to Zverev and shake hands. Spectators booed as the 37-year-old Djokovic walked off toward the locker room, and he stopped, turned around and responded by giving two thumbs up.

At his news conference, Djokovic said the pain in his left leg was “getting worse and worse.” He hurt it during his quarterfinal victory over Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday night and wore white tape around his upper leg against Zverev.

“I knew,” Djokovic said, “even if I won the first set, it was going to be a huge uphill battle for me.”

He was bidding for an 11th championship at the Australian Open and record 25th Grand Slam title overall. But this is the second time in the past four major tournaments he was unable to finish because of an injury: He withdrew from last year’s French Open before the quarterfinals after tearing the meniscus in his right knee during a match.

Djokovic had surgery a couple of days later and immediately reached the final at the following major, Wimbledon, then won a gold medal for Serbia at the Paris Olympics.

On Friday, he was asked whether this might have been his last appearance at Melbourne Park.

“There is a chance. Who knows?” Djokovic said. “I’ll just have to see how the season goes. I want to keep going.”

The second-seeded Zverev reached his first title match at Melbourne Park and on Sunday will face the winner of Friday’s second semifinal between top-seeded Jannik Sinner of Italy, the defending champion, and No. 21 Ben Shelton of the United States.

Zverev is a two-time runner-up at other major tournaments, losing finals in five sets at the 2020 U.S. Open and 2024 French Open.

“The very first thing I want to say is: Please, guys, don’t boo a player when he goes out with injury,” Zverev told the Rod Laver Arena crowd during his on-court interview. “I know that everybody paid for tickets and everybody wants to see hopefully a great five-set match. But you’ve got to understand – Novak Djokovic is somebody that has given this sport, for the past 20 years, absolutely everything of his life.”

The only set of Djokovic vs. Zverev lasted 1 hour, 20 minutes and included 19 points that lasted nine strokes or more apiece. The first four games alone lasted 31 minutes.

It was grueling – and would have been even without dealing with a problem with one’s body. But everything was too much for Djokovic with the thigh, which first became an issue late in the first set against Alcaraz.

“I didn’t hit the ball since (the) Alcaraz match until like an hour before today’s match,” Djokovic said. “I did everything I possibly can to basically manage the muscle tear that I had. Medications and I guess the (tape) and the physio work helped to some extent today. But towards the end of that first set, I just started feeling more and more pain and it was too much for me to handle. Unfortunate ending, but I tried.”

Zverev said he could sense “some dents” on the other side of the net in the tiebreaker and noticed that Djokovic was struggling “maybe a bit more.”

Two years ago at Melbourne Park, Djokovic hurt his left hamstring but still managed to depart with the trophy. Against Alcaraz, he was down a set against someone who is 16 years his junior but won.

This time, Djokovic could not pull off a similar escape.

“If he cannot continue a tennis match, it really means he cannot continue a tennis match. So, please, be respectful,” Zverev said to the fans. “And really show some love for Novak.”

​ Orange County Register 

Balanced Clippers cruise past struggling Wizards

• January 24, 2025

INGLEWOOD — The Clippers will finish this stretch of games Saturday having played six games in nine days. Then it’s another four road games in seven days. At times, the games begin to look the same, although they don’t all play the same.

There can be intense games against the defending NBA champions and blowouts against the worst team in the league.

“We just got to go out and try to win,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “You just know every day’s a tough game and you’ve got to be prepared to play.”

Some games are tougher than others, and then there are games like Wednesday’s 110-93 victory over the struggling Washington Wizards on the second night of a back-to-back at the Intuit Dome.

After pushing the 2024 champion Boston Celtics to overtime the previous night, the Clippers landed on a soft spot in their congested schedule and produced a less-than-stellar performance despite having six players in double figures.

“Not a good game for us. It was just a win,” Lue said. “We didn’t play particularly well. We didn’t execute and were loose with the basketball. We did some good things as well, but it wasn’t one of our best games, I thought.”

Lue pointed to the Clippers’ 18 turnovers against the team with the worst record in the league as evidence.

“Like last night I thought we played better, but it is a win. We’ll take it. We got to start stacking wins, but we got to start executing the right way. And I don’t think we did a good job with that tonight.”

It was, however, the kind of game they needed after playing three games in the previous four days. The Wizards provided little resistance against a healthy Clippers roster.

The Clippers (24-19) played without six of their top eight rotation players against the Celtics, but the starters were back on Thursday, as was reserve Nico Batum, in time to face the Wizards (a league-worst 6-37). Guard Kris Dunn was still out because of a sore knee and Jordan Miller was out because of illness.

The Clippers’ balanced scoring was too much for the Wizards, with six players finishing in double figures. The victory snapped a two-game losing streak.

Leonard continued to ramp up his game, posting 15 points, seven rebounds and one assist in 23 minutes, 47 seconds, which kept within his minutes limit since returning to the lineup on Jan. 4. He missed the first 34 games of the season because of lingering right knee soreness.

“Over (his) last two games, I thought he’s been really good, just attacking a basket, getting to his spots, playing with a pace,” Lue said before the game. “The first few games, he kind of just eased into it, trying to feel it out and see if he can trust his knee. But now, I think mentally he’s really past that point.”

James Harden posted his 79th career triple-double with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain for the eighth place on the NBA’s career list.

“It means a lot, man, just impacting the game in other ways,” Harden said. “Scoring is one thing, but rebounding basketball, facilitating is another thing and just impacting the game. You don’t got to be the best player on the court by just scoring the basketball every single night.

“Obviously, that helps, but there’s other ways to impact games and you’ve been seeing it throughout the course of the history of the NBA. I’m just happy to be a part of one of those on our list.”

Norman Powell added 22 points, and Derrick Jones Jr., who played 44 minutes against the Celtics the previous night, finished with 19 points and eight rebounds. Center Ivica Zubac, who missed two games after being poked in the eye by Lakers center Anthony Davis on Sunday, had 11 points and nine rebounds. Backup center Mo Bama had 13 points, six rebounds and five blocked shots.

With four of the five starters on the bench, the Wizards chipped away at the lead in the third quarter. They outscored the Clippers 23-13 to whittle what had been a 27-point margin to 17 by the end of the quarter (89-72).

“We just got careless and (started) taking bad shots, not letting the game play out,” Lue said. “You can’t dictate who’s going to get the shots if you’re playing basketball the right way. And so, I don’t think we did that the second half or the third all the way through.”

Lue put the starters, except Leonard, back in midway through the fourth quarter after the Wizards trimmed the lead to 95-83. A layup and 3-pointer by Powell restored a 17-point cushion with 6:56 left in the game.

Jordan Poole scored 24 points and had nine assists for the Wizards. Bilal Coulibaly added 15 points and Alex Star 14 points and 10 rebounds.

​ Orange County Register 

Inside a Pasadena church, a vision for Eaton fire recovery – and a call for equity – forge ahead

• January 24, 2025

It’s a Thursday afternoon inside of the Rev. Dr.  Larry E. Campbell’s First AME Church Pasadena.

And it’s packed inside.

Residents mingle. Leaders talk. There’s clergy from near and far. Young. Old. Congregants who have found solace in a church that has served generations sit and think about the future.

This is no normal time.

Not far away, to the east from the Raymond Avenue church, the charred landscape of the Eaton fire can’t be ignored, nor can its impact on Campbell’s congregation.

Campbell’s parishioners lost 54 homes to the fire, and another 12 structures were deemed not livable. Rental income property owned by the church was lost.

But on Thursday, there was Campbell, senior pastor, at the pulpit.

“This is a very painful but hopeful time for our community, because we know that God has not brought us this far to leave us,” he told those gathered on Thursday.

Even with its losses, the Raymond Avenue church has become a renewed beacon in the aftermath of the fire — a a warm and familiar site, situated in a part of the city known for its vibrant Black community and working-class households. It’s up at the northwest corner of Pasadena, just below Altadena.

This particular Thursday, Jan. 23, was not billed as a religions service.

A delegation making up a large portion of the Council of Bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal Church was visiting. They were in Southern California for a different engagement but had to divert and visit its hardest hit church.

“I am usually a man with a lot of words. But when I went on this tour, I was just dumbfounded, when I saw the devastation that this fire brought about,” said Wilfred J. Messiah, senior bishop on the council told those gathered.

The visit became a forum of sorts, one where you could see glimpses of how faith communities will play a role in the rebuilding of Pasadena and Altadena.

“We have come to say you are not in it by yourselves,” Messiah said. “We are here to walk this journey with you. We came to make a difference.”

For church leaders, there’s short-term and longer-term plans. In the short term, it’s about using the church as a kind of service center for people in need. There’s financial vouchers, water, educational services for people trying to navigate the the red tape of rebuilding.

Last Sunday,  FEMA was there. Next week, portable laundry services will arrive, and always, this is a place where people can get a lunch, watch some TV, pray and talk one another through the crisis, Campbell said.

There’s a deep awareness about mental health and the need to providing wellness services.

Brandon Lamar, long a community advocate and now president of the NAACP’s Pasadena chapter, said social media has been a blessing in many ways.

But it also makes the bad news impossible to elude — images of devastation that has ravaged the area, around the clock for two weeks now.

“Young people are hurting,” said Lamar, whose boyhood schools, Edison Elementary and Elliot Middle School, were both destroyed.

Longer term, church leaders said that they aim to play pivotal roles in the  rebuild-and-recovery effort that they hope can make Altadena and Pasadena even better. That includes working with trusted local builders contractors, they said.

Drexell Johnson, founder and executive director of the Young Black Contractors Association, said the recovery must include contractors who look like the community they are building in.

“It’s almost impossible for Black contractors to get a fair shake,” he said Thursday, in what became a short question-and-answer session inside the sanctuary.

“I am hoping that FEMA and the various agencies would be a bit more transparent with their selection process as it relates to developers and contractors,” he said.

Bishop Francine A. Brookins said the church “wants to work with developers and contractors that we know and trust.”

Trust is big. And Lamar made the clear, amplifying a frequent refrain about the region’s generational wealth, which goes back decades and which sets the area apart in terms of the larger volume of Black-owned property.

“Altadena is not for sale,” he said from the pulpit. “Pasadena is not for sale. We are making sure the people who want to live here, stay here.”

It was a note of vigilance that has been echoed across the fire-jolted area in recent days. This time, the message came in a church sanctuary, spurring applause.

“We will not accept any vultures in our community,” he said.

Residents have reported that they received calls the morning after the fire started from real estate developers asking if they wanted to sell their property.

“Homes are gone. But these are not just homes. These are generational homes,” Lamar said. “This is generational wealth. And they are gone. We must make sure that every house – and I mean every house – is rebuilt into a capacity that we will be here for generations to come.”

Bishops on Thursday acknowledged that they’d heard President Donald Trump might come to the area on Friday to survey the damage. In recent days, Trump has signaled that federal aid for recovery should be tied to conditions — a signal that local leaders have pushed back on.

“It will be encouraging to these residents for their president to come and encourage, and assure them of the nation’ s support,” the bishops said in a collective statement. “We call on the president to make First AME church one of the places to visit. No community has felt the loss and the hurt like this community and this church.”

L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger echoed the clergy. She was among early leaders who invited the new president.

“My hope is he will see and experience what he needs to,” she said, “to understand the importance of being a partner with us to rebuild. I, for one, don’t care if he talks to me. I want him to talk to the people. Because when you talk to the families that were devastated, I would defy anybody to turn their back.”

Thursday wasn’t a church service. But what’s been happening at the church goes beyond any ceremony.

“It’s more than Sunday workshop,” Campbell said. “This is what a church does.”

​ Orange County Register 

Lauren Betts, UCLA women cruise past Rutgers to remain unbeaten

• January 24, 2025

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Lauren Betts is dominating both ends of the court these days, and her play is limiting the stress for the UCLA women’s basketball team.

Betts had 25 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots to help the top-ranked Bruins beat Rutgers, 84-66, on Thursday night.

The 6-foot-7 Betts, who shot 12 for 16 from the field, now has 21 blocks over her last three games for UCLA (19-0 overall, 7-0 Big Ten), which remained one of the two unbeaten teams in the country along with No. 5 LSU (20-0, 5-0 SEC).

The Scarlet Knights (8-12, 0-9) hung around for about 12 minutes before the Bruins asserted themselves behind Betts. UCLA led 21-16 early in the second quarter before scoring nine straight points to start a 20-6 run. Betts had eight points during the spurt.

The Bruins led 45-29 at halftime, and Rutgers never got closer than 14 in the second half.

Londynn Jones added 12 points (all on 3-pointers), Angela Dugalic scored 11 and Kiki Rice had 10 points and tied her season high with 10 assists for UCLA, which outrebounded Rutgers 49-35 and had a 42-30 advantage in points in the paint.

UCLA shot 45.7% from the field (9 for 29 from 3-point range) and finished with 25 assists on its 32 field goals, with most of the baskets that weren’t assisted coming on putbacks.

Destiny Adams had 15 points and 13 rebounds to pace Rutgers, which had not faced the top-ranked team in the nation since 2014, when the Scarlet Knights squared off with Connecticut twice in American Athletic Conference play.

The Scarlet Knights shot 35.3% from the field and never led.

UCLA has been on the East Coast for nearly a week as the Bruins beat No. 25 Baylor in the inaugural Coretta Scott King Classic on Monday.

Because of the wildfires in Los Angeles, UCLA classes have been held remotely over the past few weeks, so the players haven’t missed anything while on the road.

UP NEXT

UCLA visits No. 8 Maryland on Sunday at 11 a.m. PT to finish its East Coast swing.

​ Orange County Register