Brentwood Hoops Brace for League

After successful starts to their seasons, the boys and girls basketball teams are ready to embark on play with momentum after opening with 9-2 records.

The boys roared to an 8-0 start under new coach, former UCLA player , who was a longtime assistant to Jamal Adams at Los Angeles Loyola. He replaced , who resigned in October after being hired two weeks earlier. 

Brentwood won the Mira Costa Pacific Shores Tournament on Dec. 3, beating Lawndale 70-59 in the final. , a 6-6 junior power forward, was selected MVP.

The Alpha League figures to be among the toughest in CIF Southern Section 4A, as defending champion Los Angeles Windward, Chatsworth Sierra Canyon, North Hollywood Campbell Hall and West Hollywood Pacific Hills are all off to promising starts as well.   

The Eagles host Chadwick of Palos Verdes on Tuesday and travel to Santa Monica Crossroads on Friday for nonleague tests before opening league Jan. 10 at home against Campbell Hall. The team is led by captains , a sophomore, and King. Holder made the All-CIF team and the All-State freshman team last year after leading the Eagles with 4.5 assists per game.

Brentwood went winless in the Alpha League and 9-15 overall last season under .

Meanwhile, the girls team has followed the same pattern as the boys, winning its first eight games before dropping two of its last three. 's squad hosts Chadwick before the boys game Tuesday and tips off against Crossroads in Santa Monica at 5:30 p.m. (prior to the boys game) Friday and hosts Campbell Hall in its league opener Jan. 10.

Brentwood captured the Inglewood City of Champions Tournament on Dec. 5, edging Reseda Cleveland, 46-41, in the final.

The girls are led by sophomore point guard and senior captain . Cabral has already scored 113 points, grabbed 84 rebounds, stolen 65 passes, dished out 70 assists and blocked 19 shots. Marquez has 80 points (an average of 7.3 per game) with 14 blocks, 77 rebounds and 18 steals. 

The Eagles went 10-15 under Solomon, finishing fourth in the Alpha League and losing in the second round of the Division 5AA playoffs. Windward is the reigning league, Southern Section and state champion.

SOCCER

The boys team, coached by , has opened 1-6-1 with nonleague losses to Palisades, Pasadena La Salle and Los Angeles Cathedral, three defeats in the San Fernando Valley Kickoff, a 4-1 victory over Sherman Oaks Buckley and a scoreless tie against Los Angeles Milken Community. The Eagles host Beverly Hills on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. on the lower field and open Alpha League play Friday night at Crossroads. 

The girls team, coached by is 2-2 after opening with a 4-1 victory over Milken Community, back-to-back 1-0 road losses to Sierra Canyon and Malibu and a 1-0 triumph over Los Angeles Marlborough. The Eagles host Los Angeles Marymount at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and open Alpha League play Friday evening at Crossroads.