No Joy in City Finals, But Uni Basketball Is Set for State Playoffs

Slow starts have been a nagging problem for the University High boys' basketball team all season. Uusally, the Wildcats get away with it, but that was not the case on Friday night. They fell behind at halftime and could not catch up, losing to Harbor City Narbonne, 74-56, in the City Section Division II final at Roybal Learning Center in Los Angeles.

It was University's third consecutive loss in the division championship game and fourth straight appearance (the Wildcats beat Eagle Rock 48-41 in 2008). David Nwaba again showed why he is one of the best players in the City, finishing with 24 points and 12 rebounds, but it wasn't enough.

The second-seeded Gauchos (22-8) led 22-17 at halftime, then outscored University 25-14 in the third quarter to put the game out of reach. The top-seeded Wildcats (25-9) had eliminated Narbonne in the semifinals the previous two years.

Despite falling short in the City tournament, University's season isn't over. The Wildcats travel to Cerritos to take on Southern Section Division 2A champion Gahr (24-7) in the first round of the Southern California Regional playoffs at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The No. 4-seeded Gladiators defeated Lakewood Mayfair, 63-48, on Saturday at the Anaheim Convention Center to win its first CIF title.

If the Wildcats upset Gahr they would hit the road again to play either Mayfair (25-6) or Tulare Union (26-2), the Central Section runner-up, in a quarterfinal game Thursday.