Hart boys basketball team extends undefeated streak to 13

The Hart boys basketball team blew out its second team in as many nights in the Holiday Classic tournament.
The Indians beat Reseda, 92-70, and won their 13th game in a row to start the season. Hart is undefeated and has won its first two games in the Hart Holiday Classic tournament.
Lewis Stallworth led the Indians in scoring with 19 points. He had four 3-pointers. Four Hart players scored in double figures and the team made 13 3-pointers in the game.
Hart plays South Bakersfield in the third round of pool play in the tournament on Friday.

Photo: The Hart boys basketball team improved to 13-0 with a 92-70 win over Reseda in the Holiday Classic tournament. (Credit: Tim Haddock)

Runners rise to the top of Santa Clarita sports in 2012

Runners took center stage in the Santa Clarita sports world in 2012. From the Summer Olympics in London to Central Park in Saugus, cross country and track runners were celebrated. Allyson Felix won three gold medals in London. The Saugus girls cross country team won their seventh CIF state championship in a row. Chris Low from College of the Canyons won a state title in track. John Gilbertson from The Master’s College won a national championship in cross country.

But cross country and track and field were not the only sports that athletes from the Santa Clarita Valley excelled. A receiver from Canyon High broke two state football records. A golfer from Valencia High qualified for her third US Women’s Open. The fire captain at Station 76 in Valencia won an IHRA drag racing event.

Here is a look at the top sports stories of the year:

Hart boys basketball team wins big in Holiday Classic

The Hart boys basketball team beat Burbank, 81-50, in the opening round of pool play in the Hart Holiday Classic.
Lewis Stallworth led four Indians in double figures. He scored 15 points. Myles Franklin scored 13.
Hart outscored Burbank, 25-8, in the third quarter to take a 22-point lead. The Indians led, 37-32, at halftime.
Hart is 12-0 to start the season. The Indians play Reseda in the second round pool play next.

Photo: The Hart boys basketball team won its first game in pool play against Burbank in the Hart Holiday Classic. (Credit: Tim Haddock)

Opening night for Irwindale Event Center set for April 6

Buried in the release of LoanMart's new partnership with the Irwindale Event Center is the tentative opening night for racing to return to the oval tracks.

LoanMart will have new billboards posted around the track and for the drag strip. The company also reserved on of the suites at the track.

"We couldn't be happier to be associated with the great new Irwindale Event Center," said Colby Estes, LoanMart's Director of Marketing. "Our company loves all forms of motorsports competition and the people who love it. We really can't wait for the stock car season to begin."

... And right now that's set for Saturday April 6, 2013.

Samantha Kenny joins dad, brother in NHRA Super Comps

Samantha Kenny's dad, Alan, won the NHRA Super Comp national championship.
Her brother, Jason, won a Super Comp race at Las Vegas.
On the final event of the year at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, she was the only one of the three Kenny racers to reach the final day of elimination.
Samantha Kenny says she had one of her best seasons even though she didn't win a national event. She was eliminated in the fifth round at Pomona, but she had her family and supporters rooting her on.
The 30-year-old from Ohio is keeping the family tradition of drag racing alive and will be joining her dad and her brother when the NHRA drag racing season begins in 2013.
Go to the K&N website for more on Samantha Kenny and her drag racing career.

Photo: Samantha Kenny reached the final day of eliminations in the NHRA Super Comp division at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona in November. (Credit: Jegs)

What can UCLA and USC expect in their bowl games?

The UCLA Bruins football team will play Baylor in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego on Dec. 27. So, who exactly are these Baylor Bears? It might be best to start with who they are not.

They are not Robert Griffin III’s Baylor Bears. The Heisman Trophy winner is the starting quarterback for the Washington Redskins these days. But even though Baylor lost a first-round quarterback to the NFL, the football team was left in two capable sets of hands.

The first pair belongs to receiver Terrance Williams. He is making a variety of All-America teams and breaking even more school records. Williams leads the nation with 1,764 receiving yards and was a finalist for the Fred Belitnekoff Award. (Marqise Lee of USC won the award).

Williams holds the school record for receiving yards and is second in school history in receiving TDs with 12 and receptions with 95. He needs 236 yards in the Holiday Bowl to become only the second player in NCAA football history with 2,000 receiving yards in a season. The  way Baylor runs its offense, 236 receiving yards is not out of the question.

Trevor Insley from Nevada is the only college receiver with more than 2,000 receiving yards in a season. He caught 134 passes for 2,060 yards in 1999. Only two receivers have more than 1,900 receiving yards in a season, Michael Crabtree at Texas Tech and Troy Edwards at Louisiana Tech.

Nick Florence, Baylor’s senior quarterback, has more than delivered after RG3 left the team. Florence is 174 yards shy of breaking Griffin’s school record for passing yards in a season. Florence is also six touchdown passes short of breaking Griffin’s school record in that category.

Florence leads the nation with an average of 387.7 yards per game of total offense. He is an academic All-American, the fourth quarterback from Baylor to earn that honor. Of course, the last quarterback to do it was Griffin in 2011.

Suffice it to say Baylor can put up some points. The team can put up points at Oregon Ducks pace. The Bears might have a more potent offense than USC. The Bruins will have their hands full, but then again, USC was supposed to give them a handful, too.

West Ranch Boys Basketball Team Knocks Off CIF State Champs | KHTS Radio

West Ranch Boys Basketball Team Knocks Off CIF State Champs | KHTS Radio
The West Ranch boys basketball team beat Alemany in the quarterfinals of the Santa Monica Tournament. Alemany won the CIF Division 3 state championship last year.
The Wildcats play Chaminade in the semifinals of the Santa Monica Tournament tonight.
The Hart boys basketball team beat Westlake and reached the semifinals of the Crescenta Valley Tournament.
The Canyon girls basketball team is in the semifinals of the Kiwanis Buena Tournament.

Canyon Boys Baksetball Team Starts Own Tournament With Win Over Lancaster | KHTS Radio

Canyon Boys Baksetball Team Starts Own Tournament With Win Over Lancaster | KHTS Radio
The Canyon boys basketball team started its own Canyon Classic Tournament with a win over Lancaster.
The Saugus boys basketball team beat Eastside in its first game in the Canyon Classic.
The Golden Valley girls lost their first game to Simi Valley in the Golden Valley Tournament.

Hart Boys Basketball Team Rolls To 3-0 Start | KHTS Radio

Hart Boys Basketball Team Rolls To 3-0 Start | KHTS Radio
The Hart boys basketball is undefeated after three games to start the season. The Indians beat Flintridge Prep in the Crescenta Valley Tournament for their third win.
The Master's College men's basketball team clobbered Cal Tech.
The Saugus girls basketball team beat Calabasas for their second win of the season.

Trinity's Dakota Prochnow Selected As CIF Division II 8-Man Football Offensive Player Of The Year | KHTS Radio

Trinity's Dakota Prochnow Selected As CIF Division II 8-Man Football Offensive Player Of The Year | KHTS Radio
Trinity Classical Academy's Dakota Prochnow was selected as the CIF Southern Section Division II 8-man football offensive player of the year. Three of his teammates earned spots on the All-Division II team.
Plus the Saugus girls soccer team is ranked No. 2 in the Southern Section Division 2 rankings.
The Hart boys are ranked No. 8 in the Division 4 soccer poll.