The Orange County Tribune Feb. 4, 2023

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WEEKEND EDITION

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Saturday: 70/51 partly cloudy Sunday: 63/43 morning showers Monday: 68/47 sunny Tuesday: 74/48 sunny

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Volume 3, Number 10 n orangecountytribune.com n Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023 n orangecountytribune@gmail.com

n HUNTINGTON BEACH CITY COUNCIL

How Dense Should The City Become?

Pushback vs. Sacramento From a staff writer The new majority of the Huntington Beach City Council will consider another effort to push back on what it sees as efforts to force more crowded housing on Surf City.

City Councilmember Pat Burns, one of the four elected in November on a conservative “Save Huntington Beach” slate is

proposing that city staff analyze two recent state laws – Senate Bills 9 and 10 – for their impact on Huntington Beach and direct City Attorney Michael Gates to “take any legal action necessary to challenge SB 9 and 10.”

Senate Bill 9 calls for subdividing an existing single-family zoned lot into two new parcels. Senate Bill 10 allows cities

New coronavirus cases and deaths show rises Confirmed new cases and deaths from coronavirus in Orange County rose this week for the first time in 2023.

The county health care agency reported that new cases hit 1,400, up from 1,223 last week. However, it’s still the second best total in a month.

Deaths increased sharply to 57 from 26 and that’s the highest total of the new year.

Hospitalizations declined to 170 from 178 last week, representing the fifth

consecutive week of decrease.

The use of intensive care units to treat COVID-19 patients remained steady at 28 for the third straight week.

To date, Orange County has had 707,008 cases and 7,848 deaths.

Nationally, The New York Times reports that – over a 14-day period – new coronavirus cases are down 14 percent and deaths by 8 percent.

Worldwide, the new casContinued on page 2

A RECENT AERIAL VIEW of a residential area of Huntington Beach.

Housing density has become an issue (Shutterstock). to permit construction of up to 10 units on a single parcel without requiring an environmental review.

Backers of these bills call them necessary to help ease the state’s housing shortage; opponents claim the state is taking away local control on land use and forcing

Inside The Trib

The legacy of Kareem, LeBron

SPORTS PAGES 7 and 8

Don’t open up!!

ARTS & LIVING 5 and 6

urbanization on suburban communities.

“The city has a duty to protect the quality and lifestyle of the neighborhoods that current owners have already bought into,” said Burns in a report to the council.

The council has already voted to challenge in court

the state’s regional housing needs assessment that Huntington Beach must zone for – but not necessarily allow – over 13,000 new housing units.

The council will meet at 3:30 in closed session and 6 p.m. for the regular session in the council chambers at 2000 Main St.

“Not guilty” plea in fatal stabbing of a bicyclist

A 39-year-old Long Beach man has been charged with murder for hitting a cyclist in Dana Point Wednesday afternoon and then stabbing him to death while bystanders tried to help the injured man. There is no known prior relationship between the victim and his accused killer.

Vanroy Evan Smith. 39, of Long Beach, has been charged with one felony count of murder and one felony enhancement of the personal use of a

knife. He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life plus one year if convicted on all charges.

He pleaded not guilty Friday. Smith is currently being held at the Orange County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail and is scheduled to be back in court on February 14, 2023 for a pretrial hearing.

On Wednesday, February 1, 2023, Dr. Michael Mammone, 58, was riding his bicycle northbound on Pacific Coast Highway Continued on page 2

For breaking news and sports all week long, go to www.orangecountytribune.com

2 SATURDAY, FEB. 4, 2023/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

n GARDEN GROVE SCHOOL BOARD

Honors for students, staff Recognition of outstanding students and staff will highlight Tuesday’s meeting of the Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Education.

“Coaches and Athletes of Character” will be presented by Stephanie Heflin, assistant superintendent of secondary education, while “Employees of the Month” will be presented by Jason Bevacqua, assistant superintendent for personnel services.

The board will have a study session on solar energy at 5:30

p.m., followed by the regular board meeting at 7 p.m., both at 10331 Stanford Ave..

The GGUSD serves most of Garden Grove as well as parts of Anaheim, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Santa Ana, Stanton and Westminster.

Not guilty plea in cyclist’s death Continued from page 1

near the intersection of Crown Valley Parkway in Dana Point at approximately 3 p.m. when he was rammed by the driver of a white Lexus, later identified as Vanroy Evan Smith.

While Mammone was laying injured in the street, Smith is accused of using a knife to repeatedly stab Mammone. Smith was detained by bystanders who rushed to help the injured cyclist.

Mammone was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. Smith was arrested by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Coronavirus stats in Orange County Continued from page 1

es – over the same period – have fallen 40 percent and deaths by 58 percent.

In California, Los Angeles Times is reporting a drop of 19 percent in new cases over 14 days, and a decline of 33 percent

When weighing differing accounts about an issue or an event, the truth is probably somewhere in between.

JIm Tortolano Editor and Publisher Marilyn Lewis Tortolano General Manager The Orange County Tribune is published on Wednesdays and Saturdays with some exceptions. Address is 9402 Luders Ave., Garden Grove, 92844.

E-mail : orangecountytribune@gmail.com.

Website: www.orangecountytribune.com.

Phone: (714) 458-1860.

Established Aug. 6, 2016. All opinions expressed in The Tribune, unless otherwise stated, are those of the individual writer or artist and not necessarily those of The Tribune.

A member of The Associated Press, and Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce.

The Tribune’s electronic paper is published on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

For a free subscription, e-mail orangecountytribune@gmail.com

ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/SATURDAY, FEB. 4, 2023 3

News&Views Shooting is investigated in Westminster Westminster police are investigating what they term an attempted murder incident early Wednesday morning that may be connected to an earlier raid on an alleged illegal gambling establishment.

According to Commander Kevin MacCormick of the WPD, the incident began at about 1:13 a.m. when police received reports of the sounds of gunfire in the 7700 block of Westminster Boulevard (east of Hoover Street).

On Tuesday morning, police had served a search warrant on the reported gambling site nearby. Early Wednesday morning officers arrived at the scene in response to reports of shots fired and found seven to eight shell casings in the alleyway, as well as a vehicle with one bullet hole.

WPD detectives are reviewing video from surrounding businesses for any evidence or leads.

No victims of gunshot wounds were located at the scene or in area hospitals.

Anyone who may have witnessed the shooting or has information about it is asked to call Detective H. Tran of the WPD Detective Division at (714) 5483810.

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Obituary

Ric Lerma, 68, an icon of Garden Grove

WESTMINSTER now has a grocery assistance program for residents 55 years of age and older and veterans. The applicaton processing day is Feb. 10. (Shutterstock).

Seniors, vets get help with grocery costs The City of Westminster is hosting an application processing day for the Westminster First Grocery Assistance Program on Feb. 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Community Services Building, 8200 Westminster Blvd.

At the Nov. 9, 2022 city council meeting, the council unanimously approved a grocery gift card program to assist residents over the age of 55 or veterans.

The program is intended to assist residents with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The program authorizes a $100 gift card for eligible seniors and veterans who live in Westminster.

Eligible residents are required to submit an application form and proof of residency, age, and veteran status if applicable; val-

id identification such as a driver’s license; and receipts dated after Nov. 21, 2022 that total $100 pre-tax in groceries from a grocery store or general purpose store in Westminster.

Residents may line up beginning 9:45 a.m. and must be in line by 2 p.m. to be served.

Gift cards are limited to one per resident, and those who have previously applied cannot reapply. Eligible applicants must be present to receive gift card. Gift cards are available while supplies last. Cards remaining will be processed on a subsequent application day on Feb. 22, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Call (714) 895-2860 or (714) 5483178 (Vietnamese) or check the city’s website for updates.

Commission deadline extended

The City of Garden Grove has extended the application deadline through Thursday, Feb. 9, for candidates to serve as non-compensated commissioners.

Applicants must be Garden Grove residents and registered voters, be able to serve a two-year term of office, and be available to attend regularly scheduled meetings. Commissioners serve as advisors to the council, providing recommendations that become part of the city’s decision-making process.

Applications must be submitted by 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 9, 2023 and may be submitted online at ggcity.org/commissions/ applications or mailed to Garden Grove City Hall, City Clerk’s Office, at 11222 Acacia Parkway 92840.

Ric Lerma, one of Garden Grove’s most prominent citizens, died recently after a sudden illness. He was 68.

A lifelong resident of Garden Grove, he attended Garden Grove High School and graduated in 1972.

In addition to his business operations – a window and door construction company and a cleaning firm – he was active in many organizations, serving as an officer in several of them.

They included the Garden Grove Foundation, Garden Grove Downtown Business Association, Garden Grove Downtown Commission, Garden Grove Neighborhood Association, Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Garden Grove Hospital Board of Directors as well as the Knights of Columbus, Lions and Kiwanis.

He has been honored as Man of the Year for 2020-2021 by the Garden Grove chamber and Cypress College Man of the Year.

Ric is survived by his wife, Susan, his mother, Vera, nine children and eight grandchildren.

Memorial services are planned on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at St. Columban Catholic Church, 10801 Stanford Ave., Garden Grove.

Viewing and Rosary are scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with a funeral mass at 1 p.m.

Continued on page 4

RIC LERMA (1954-2023)

4 SATURDAY, FEB. 4, 2023 /ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

NewsUpdate

ADVERTISEMENT FOR DESIGN ASSIST SUBCONTRACTOR PREQUALIFICATION Subject to conditions prescribed by the County of Orange, responses to prequalification documents are sought for Design Assist contracts for the following scopes: Fire Protection, Plumbing, HVAC/Controls, Electrical/Low Voltage/Fire Alarm for the following project: PROJECT: Orange County Health Care Campus at El Toro, Irvine CA: General project scope includes the following: This project is a public works project. The project is being developed as the new center for the operation of the Orange County Emergency Medical Services (OCEMS) and Orange County Public Health Laboratory (OCPHL). The site will also house the Orange County Health Care Agency Administration (OCHCA). The objective is to meet the long-term operational best practice requirements of OCEMS, OCPHL and OCHCA and the integration of administration and operational functions into a single campus. This project does not fall under California’s Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD).

EMPLOYMENT SOARED IN JANUARY 2023 Businesses added 517,000 people on their payroll (Shuttestock).

Employment rises in U.S., as 517,000 more jobs are added Hiring in the United States grew strongly in January, pushing back against fears of a possible recession.

The New York Times reported that the Labor Department on Friday stated that 517,000 new jobs were added that month, reversing three months of decline.

Additionally, the unemployment rate slipped to 3.4 percent, the lowest since 1969. Traditionally, 4 percent is considered “full employment.”

Sports: Ukraine to leave if the Russians play

A balloon-ing crisis with the Chinese?

Weather: Cloudy to sunny

A huge balloon that was seen flying over Montana this week is from China, prompting U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to cancel a planned visit to China.

According to United Press International, the Chinese government claims it was a civilian airship doing meteorological research and drifted off-course.

Blinken said, “We are convinced this is a Chinese surveillance balloon.”

Also in the news … About

one in six defendants charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol who expressed contrition before sentencing have since backtracked, says The Associated Press.

Ukraine will pull its athletes from the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris if Russian athletes are allowed to compete.

According to The New York Times, the top Ukrainian sports official said Friday that his nation would rally allies to convince the International Olympic Committee to ban athletes from Russia and its close ally, Belarus from the games.

The forecast for the West Orange County area for Saturday is for partly cloudy skies, with a daytime high of 71 a low of 51.

Sunday will see morning clouds and afternoon sun, with a high of 64 and a low of 43. A warming trend begins on Monday with sunny skies. and a high of 68 (47). The sunshine is expected to continue through Thursday of the coming week.

Ric Lerma Continued from page 3

The Ric Lerma Memorial Blood Drive is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 9 from 1:30 to 8 p.m. at the Garden Grove Community Center, 11300 Stanford Ave. To sign up to donate blood/platelets, call 1-800-733-2767.

The project site is located in the City of Irvine within the vicinity of Orange County Great Park and consists of two parcels: Parcel 3 (4.38 +/- Acres) and Parcel 4 (5.23 +/- Acres). Within Parcel 4, there is an existing warehouse – Building 360, approximately 120,000 SF which is Not in Contract (NIC).

The new building(s) will consist of EMS (Emergency Medical Services) at approximately 14,900 SF, Multipurpose AOC (Agency Operation Center) at approximately 7,500 SF, PHL (Public Health Laboratory) at approximately 23,400 SF, HCA (Health Care Agency) Administration at approximately 12,500 SF and shared spaces of approximately 9,300 SF. The EMS shall accommodate the workplace for EMS staff along with Pharmacy Lab and the support spaces for the AOC. The Multipurpose AOC serves as the connection area between EMS & PHL and serves as the main entry point for visitors. The build out of the PHL consists of laboratory spaces and support spaces of the lab and will include a Bio-Safety Level 3 lab facility.

Construction is scheduled to commence July 2023 thru January 2025.

PRE-QUALIFICATION OF PROSPECTIVE SUBCONTRACTORS: The County of Orange has determined that subcontractors who submit bids to PCL Construction on this Project must be pre-qualified within PCL’s system.

Only those subcontractors who pre-qualify will be allowed to bid on the project.

LICENSE: C16, C36, C42, C43, C20, C7, C10 See Description of Classifications (www.cslb.ca.gov) Interested firms may obtain Prequalification Documents beginning on January 23, 2023 by contacting: Chantel Marcq – cmarcq@pcl.com Reference “Orange County Health Care Campus at El Toro Prequalification” in your email: Submittal of the required Prequalification Forms will be received at the same location on or before February 03, 2023, by 2:00 p.m. Please submit all necessary forms and information in sufficient time in advance of this date.

No Prequalification Submittals will be received after 2:00 p.m., February 03, 2023.

Confidentiality of the information provided will be respected to the extent permitted by law.

QUESTIONS: Only written inquiries will be permitted. Questions must be submitted in writing by January 27, 2023 and will be acceptable by email: Same Contact as above All information requested must be completed and returned in order to be considered “responsive” to the requirements of prequalification.

Our e-paper published on Wednesdays and Saturdays. For a free subscription via e-mail, please send us a request to: orangecountytribune@gmail.com.

ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/SATURDAY, FEB. 4, 2023 5

Arts&Living

DAVID BAUTISTA (center) stars in the offbeat horror film, “A Knock at the Cabin” (Universal Studios)

A Choice in “Knock at the Cabin” Which is more worthy? Family or the world?

By Jake Coyle AP Film Writer

Knock. Knock.

It being mid-winter (typically a doldrums in movie theaters), it’s a cozy relief to be able to throw open the door and find M. Night Shyamalan standing there with his near-annual helping of highconcept thriller.

His last one, “Old,” about vacationers trapped on a private beach where aging is accelerated — a kind of high-speed “White Lotus” — fittingly arrived in the summer. But this quieter, gloomier time of year

Movie Review seems perfectly designed for Shyamalan to burst in with his signature brand of big-screen bonkers and some new twists to the age-old question of “Who’s there?”

“Knock at the Cabin,” which opened in theaters Saturday, is at once like every previous Shyamalan film and a thrilling departure. Gimmicky set-up?

Check. Queasy spiritualism?

You bet.

But as a self-contained, handsomely staged thriller — after the knocking, the film takes place almost entirely within a remote cabin — Shyamalan’s latest finds the filmmaker working in an appealingly straightforward and stripped-down fashion.

We have our cabin, our small cast of characters and, above all, our preposterous premise.

Though Shyamalan’s films often flirt with higher powers and existential conundrums, nothing reigns in his movie universe more than The Concept. And in the gripping “Knock at the Cabin,” he carefully teases it, exploits it and dutifully follows it to its ultimate conclusion with the command of a seasoned professional.

Just outside a cabin in a wooded forest, 7-year-old Gwen (Kristen Cui) is collecting grasshoppers in a glass jar. “I’m just going to learn about you for a while,” she tells one as she slides it into the jar. Shyamalan, too, is gathering specimens into a hermetically sealed vessel for inquiry.

One calmly walks right out of the woods. A hulking, bespec-

Good: HHH tacled man (Dave Bautista) strides up to Gwen, politely introduces himself as Leonard and makes kindly chit chat while occasionally glancing back over his shoulder. Then he says the reason he’s there makes him heartbroken. He describes it as “maybe the most important job in the history of the world.”

Before you exclaim “Podiatry!” Leonard’s job turns out to be a tad more sinister. He and three others, who soon also emerge from the forest, are there, as Leonard patiently lays out, to give Gwen’s parents a choice that will dictate the fate of the world. After forcing their way into the cabin, LeonContinued on page 6

6 SATURDAY, FEB. 4, 2023/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

Movie review: “Knock at the Cabin” Continued from page 5

ard — flanked by Sabrina (Nikki Amuka-Bird), Redmond (Rupert Grint) and Adriane (Abby Quinn) — informs Gwen’s two dads, Eric (Jonathan Groff) and Andrew (Ben Aldridge) — that they must make a sacrifice to stave off global apocalypse.

Each has come to the cabin after all-consuming visions — like warped versions of those that preoccupy the characters in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” — of the doom that awaits if the family in this random cabin doesn’t, within hours, kill one of themselves.

This isn’t, like last year’s “Barbarian,” another chasten-

ing example of the dangers that lurk within the poorly chosen Airbnb, (though I, for one, will henceforth not be clicking “Shyamalanian allegory” in all future bookings). This is, like most of Shyamalan’s schemes, a sincere metaphorical proposition. What’s more important: Preserving one’s family or the larger world?

There are, of course, reasons to be dubious of strangers who turn up in your vacation rental asking for blood to spare humanity. Are they delusional? Has this gay couple been targeted? Do their demands not sound a little like the nuttery of some of today’s real-world attackers?

Eric and Andrew sense the

same kind of brutality that they’ve experienced all their lives as gay men. Flashbacks to their past, including moments of bliss and pain, suggest this lurid episode is part of a larger narrative of a loving family forged against a harsh world. “Always together” is the couple’s mantra.

But the way the four intruders speak is at odds with that possibility. They seem genuinely concerned for the wellbeing of the family. They identify themselves as regular people, some with families of their own, who are reluctantly but necessarily carrying out a duty. They are making their own sacrifice, too.

Bautista, in one of his finest performances, is more sweet than menacing, even while wielding a heavy weapon. Amuka-Bird, too, is an affectingly sensitive presence.

The performances, all around, are convincing, and Shyamalan arrestingly stages the intense standoff as blood begins to spill and calamities, seen on television, mount. The tale, adapted from Paul G. Tremblay’s 2018 novel “The Cabin at the End of the World” with a notable tweak to the ending, cleverly inverts the home invasion thriller.

There are, undoubtedly, deeper avenues of exploration left unexamined. But there are also B-movie pleasures that deviate from horror convention, and even some of the director’s own trademark sensibilities.

Shyamalan doesn’t pump up the violence, nor does he rely on plot twists to carry “Knock at the Cabin” along. Instead, the film works as a brutal, neatly distilled kind of morality play that toys with fatalism, family and climate change allegory.

What most distinguishes Shyamalan’s film is how it dares to consider whether some things are more important than family.

In apocalyptic big screen spectacles, family is almost always the last and most abiding refuge.

Here, it may be an impediment.

“Knock at the Cabin,” a Universal Pictures release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for violence and language.

Running time: 100 minutes.

For a free subscription via e-mail, please send us a request to: orangecountytribune@ gmail.com.

ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/SATURDAY, FEB. 4, 2023 7

King James about to pass Kareem as scoring leader Continued from page 8

He just had greatness,’’ said Riley, now the president of the Miami Heat and one of the few who has worked with both AbdulJabbar and James. “You could see that. When you can bypass potential and you move right to greatness as a high school player, and then college and then the pros ... there are very few like

him. There’s a handful. Two handfuls, at the most.’’

James is one of them, going from high school straight to the NBA, and now in his 20th season, he is now just 89 points away from passing Abdul-Jabbar’s record. The Lakers play Thursday in Indiana, then Saturday at New Orleans.

The most realistic target for the record-breaker is Tuesday in Los Angeles against Oklahoma City or – perhaps symbolically – next Thursday in L.A. when the Lakers play host to the Milwaukee Bucks, the team that AbdulJabbar started his NBA career with.

This past October, AbdulJabbar – on his Substack page where he discusses and offers opinion on a variety of topics, often nothing to do with sports – wrote that when James passed Kobe Bryant for No. 3 on the all-time scoring list in 2020, he “knew it was just a matter of time before he passed me too.”

Abdul-Jabbar added that every time a record is broken, all people are elevated.

“When I broke Wilt Chamberlain’s scoring record in 1984 – the year LeBron was born – it bothered Wilt, who’d had a bit of a one-sided rivalry with me since I’d started doing so well in the NBA,” he wrote.

“I don’t feel that way toward LeBron. Not only will I celebrate his accomplishment, I will sing his praises unequivocally.’’

The relationship between Abdul-Jabbar and James seems complicated. Abdul-Jabbar was outside of the Cleveland locker room during the 2016 Eastern Conference finals as James was jogging by; the two embraced and shared a few kind words, prompting James to discuss the respect he has for Abdul-Jabbar and others who paved the way in his postgame remarks.

Abdul-Jabbar also has lauded

James “as a community leader and athlete.” But he criticized James for not doing more with his platform to encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19. And earlier this season, James said he has “no relationship” with Abdul-Jabbar.

There are ties that bind them, though. Both are champions.

Both have worked to promote social justice and spoken out against racial inequality. AbdulJabbar played 20 years in the NBA; James is in Year 20. Abdul-Jabbar set the record while playing for the Lakers; James will do the same.

And If nothing else, James’ pursuit of the record may have exposed a generation or two that never saw Abdul-Jabbar play to how great he was.

“We have to always acknowledge those who come before us, those who’ve paved the way,’’ Lakers coach Darvin Ham said.

“You think of all those points Kareem scored and he had, what, one 3-pointer? You think about all of that, and these kids get to learn about a different era.

It’s high, high-level education in the game of basketball, particularly NBA basketball.’’

When Abdul-Jabbar broke the record, Riley said Magic Johnson – then the Lakers’ point guard – made sure he was the one who got the assist on the play. Johnson nearly put himself back into the game against Utah in Las Vegas that night when Abdul-Jabbar was two points away.

League hoop titles settled Continued from page 8

race ended in a tie between Edison and Los Alamitos, each 5-1.

The boys’ Wave League finished with Newport Harbor (6-0) at the top and Huntington Beach (0-6) at the other end.

Edison (5-1) finished as champion of the girls’ Wave League, with Marina (4-2) in second and Huntington Beach (1-5) in last.

Other league titles were won

by Western boys (Orange) and Orangewood girls (San Joaquin).

8 SATURDAY, FEB. 4, 2023/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

TheSportsPage

And Now It’s Off to CIF-SS Hoop Playoffs Area league champonships decided in the final games

LEBRON JAMES is about to break the all-time NBA scoring mark (set by Kareem Addul Jabbar, pictured below (AP Photo).

Kareem and LeBron: Connected but unique Laker stars at stardom’s peak this week

By Tim Reynolds AP Basketball Writer

Pat Riley remembers just about every detail surrounding the events of Dec. 29, 1961. It was a cold night in Schenectady, New York. A little snowy, the roads a little icy. And when the bus carrying the opposing team from New York City arrived, all of Riley’s Linton High teammates peered out the window.

They saw a giant.

Long before Riley and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were winning NBA championships together as coach and player with the Showtime-era Los

Angeles Lakers in the 1980s, they were opponents. Riley and Linton beat Power Memorial and Lew Alcindor – AbdulJabbar’s name before converting to Islam – 7468 that night.

Abdul-Jabbar, then a 6-foot-10 freshman, was held to eight points because he spent virtually the entire game in foul trouble. He has told Riley several times over the years that Linton won

because Riley’s father _ a lifelong baseball man _ had his umpiring friends refereeing the game.

“Which we did,’’ Riley acknowledges.

Riley knew it then and came to appreciate it even more years later – there were only a few ways to stop the player who would eventually spend nearly four decades as the most prolific scorer in NBA history.

Abdul-Jabbar is on the verge of being passed by the Lakers’ LeBron James, the 38-year-old who was nearly nine months from being born when the unforgettable center made one of his signature sky hooks on April 5, 1984 to overtake Wilt Chamberlain and become the league’s scoring leader.

“Kareem was a guy that never had any potential.

Continued on page 7

League basketball titles for area high school basketball teams have been decided, playoff berths lined-up (probably) and the CIF-SS tournament looming for the West Orange County area, Santiago (8-2, 18-10) took undisputed possession of the Garden Grove League boys’ title with its 72-53 win over Rancho Alamitos on Thursday night. Finishing second and third in the GGL are Loara (7-3, 16-12) and La Quinta (13-15).

Generally, the top three teams in a six-team league get a playoff berth, but there are exceptions.

On the girls’ side, Santiago (10-0, 17-7) is the GGL champ, followed by La Quinta (7-3, 13-14) and Loara (6-4, 6-19).

In the Empire League,

Pacifica boys (3-7, 13-15) finished fourth and closed out the season with a 4642 win over Valencia.

Pacifica girls (4-5, 1513) tied for third with Valencia (4-6, 13-15) in the EL. The Golden West League title was won by Segerstrom (9-1, 14-11), followed by Ocean View (6-4, 16-12) and a threeway tie among Godinez, Katella and Westminster, all at 5-5 in league.

Garden Grove, the defending league champ, ended 0-10 and 2-24.

In girls’ GWL play, Godinez and Segerstrom tied for first with 8-2 league marks. Ocean View (53) is third, Westminster fourth and Garden Grove last.

The boys’ Surf League Continued on page 7

Prep Hoops Scores Thursday, Feb. 2 (boys) Loara 60, Bolsa Grande 46 Santiago 72, Rancho Alamitos 53 Edison 51, Fountain Valley 49 Los Alamitos 77, Marina 75 Laguna Beach 46, Huntington Beach 44 Ocean View 43, Katella 34 Segerstrom 41, Godinez 34 Western 54, Savanna 49 Pacifica 46, Valencia 42 Thursday, Feb. 2 (girls) Anaheim 75, Magnolia 54 Western 45, Savanna 42 Loara 59, Bolsa Grande 33 Santiago 63, Rancho Alamitos 25 Pacifica 35, Valencia 30 Westminster 65, Garden Grove 15