N. Hollywood Blends Youth, Experience in 77-57 Win

It really isn’t fair for North Hollywood High Coach Steve Miller to keep using Tommy Byrdsong and Dana Jones.

Miller already has four starters back from last year’s East Valley League champions. That should be enough.

But with the addition of Byrdsong and Jones, two talented sophomores who get better each game, North Hollywood is going to be involved in a lot of blowouts like the 77-57 shellacking it gave Granada Hills on Thursday night in the first round of the North Hollywood tournament.

Byrdsong, a 5-8 guard, lead the Huskies with 14 points. Jones, a 6-3 forward, had 8 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.

“We have three seniors and the two sophomores are playing just as good,” senior guard Danny Klein said. “It’s incredible that they don’t crack under pressure.”

Instead of cracking, Byrdsong and Jones excelled under pressure. With North Hollywood ahead, 14-13, at the start of the second quarter, Byrdsong scored six points and Jones had four points and three rebounds as North Hollywood took a 33-23 halftime lead.

Although the sophomores’ production dropped in the second half, the Huskies built a 20-point lead behind the play of the three seniors--Klein, Dominic Nappi and Alan Breslauer.

Klein had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Nappi, an All-City forward, and Breslauer each had 12 points and nine rebounds.

John Johnson, the only returning starter from Granada Hills’ City Section 3-A Division championship team, led the Highlanders with 15 points. Joey Rosas added 10 points.

North Hollywood (3-1) will play El Camino Real in a second-round game tonight at 8:30. Granada Hills (2-3) will play Montclair Prep in a consolation game.

In other first-round games of the North Hollywood tournament:

Chatsworth 71, Grant 57--The Chancellors avenged an earlier loss to Grant by routing the Lancers. Grant had defeated Chatsworth, 62-61, on a last second shot two weeks ago after trailing by 11 in the third quarter.

“As soon as that ball went in last time, I was looking forward to this game,” Chatsworth’s David Waco said. “This team worked hard and we showed it.”

Junior guard Rick Garrick led Chatsworth with 25 points, including 19 in the first half when the Chancellors took a 38-30 lead.

Chatsworth forward Erik Merkel added 20 points--12 in the second half when Chatsworth made sure the Lancers couldn’t rally again.

“We haven’t got great size or great talent, but we played together,” Chatsworth Coach Gary Shair said.

Grant’s Danny Enowitz had a team-high 15 points.

Grant was playing without guard Nate Conner, who suffered a hairline fracture in a foot during practice last week. Conner is averaging more than 17 points per game.

Taft 81, Bell-Jeff 59--Quincy Watts made 13 of 14 shots as the Toreadors breezed through a first-round game.

Watts--who outscored the entire Bell-Jeff team, 14-13, in the first quarter--finished with a game-high 30 points. Teammate Anthony Moten had 12 points and seven rebounds and Dedan Thomas added 11 points.

Bell-Jeff’s Chris Dyer had a team-high 17 points and Nick Sanderson added 15 points.

Bell-Jeff’s Greg Dunn injured an ankle midway through the second quarter and left the game.

El Camino Real 72, Montclair Prep 61--Damon Orlando scored 24 points to lead El Camino Real to victory.

Montclair Prep’s Craig Handschu led all scorers with 30 points and teammate Dave Sanger added 16.

Brent Lofton had 16 points for El Camino Real.