Lakers

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: LeBron James needed to send this message.

He still sits on his throne.

The Lakers superstar scored 10 consecutive points late in the fourth quarter to seal a 112-108 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, finishing with 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists to help the Lakers (17-6) nab two wins out of a difficult three-game trip.

Philadelphia (13-10) crawled back from a 10-point deficit in the third quarter and tied the score with 1:28 remaining on a shot by Joel Embiid. James answered with the fadeaway three-pointer over Quentin Grimes to put the Lakers up by three with 1:11 left. He all but iced the game with a 20-foot fadeaway shot over Grimes with 27.3 seconds remaining.

Running back up the court, James held both hands low to the ground in a “too small” signal. He placed an imaginary crown on his head. He soaked in the roars from the crowd and punctuated it with his signature silencer celebration.

“That was vintage Bron,” said Luka Doncic, who finished with 31 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists after a two-game absence for the birth of his second child. “We’re happy he was there to save us.”

James played in his 1,015th win, passing Robert Parish for the second most in NBA history. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the record with 1,074. The Lakers won for the first time in Philadelphia since Dec. 16, 2016.

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Lakers box score

NBA standings

RAMS

From Gary Klein: There was no time for players and fans to send Rams coach Sean McVay get-well-soon cards.

A day after deciding not to travel with the team for fear of spreading stomach-flu symptoms, McVay arrived Sunday morning.

McVay fist-bumped players during warmups at State Farm Stadium, his trademark gelled hair spikes in full effect. And he looked none the worse for the wear while roaming the sideline sockless and calling plays against the Arizona Cardinals.

McVay and his players were feeling good after the Rams routed the Cardinals, 45-17.

Matthew Stafford passed for three touchdowns, Puka Nacua caught two touchdown passes in a game for the first time in his career, and Blake Corum rushed for a career-high 128 yards and two touchdowns as the Rams bounced back from a loss to the Carolina Panthers and improved to 10-3, reclaiming the top spot in the NFC.

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FERNANDO DOES NOT MAKE HALL OF FAME

From Jack Harris: Fernando Valenzuela was once more denied induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Fourteen months removed from his death at the age of 63 in October 2024, and 27 years removed from the end of a pitching career measured by more than just wins, losses and ERA, Valenzuela failed to be elected for the 2026 Hall of Fame class by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee — a 16-person group that once every three years considers players from the 1980s or later who had not been elected to the Hall through the traditional media vote.

Needing 12 votes from that committee to attain Hall of Fame status, Valenzuela instead came up short by receiving fewer than five.

Because Valenzuela didn’t receive five votes, he will be ineligible to be back on the Contemporary Era Committee’s ballot in 2028. The next time the committee could review his case won’t be until 2031.

Until then, his name will remain among the most notable snubs from Hall of Fame induction.

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Former Dodgers slugger and noted curmudgeon Jeff Kent voted into the Hall of Fame

From Ryan Kartje: For the 11th straight season and fourth time under coach Lincoln Riley, USC finished its season on the outside looking in at the College Football Playoff field.

But it will get to finish this football season with a first.

USC will face Texas Christian in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 30, a source not authorized to discuss the matchup publicly confirmed to The Times. The Trojans never have spent the bowl season in San Antonio, where the Alamo Bowl has been played since 1993.

Their opponent comes as somewhat of a surprise considering the Horned Frogs finished the regular season 8-4 in a tie for fifth in the Big 12. The Alamo Bowl gets first selection of Big 12 teams and could have chosen Brigham Young, which lost in the Big 12 title game and, like USC, finished within one win of the playoff field. But the bowl presumably passed on the Cougars because they took part in the game last season.

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USC BASKETBALL

From Ryan Kartje: Jazzy Davidson glanced at the basket with less than two minutes left in USC’s Big Ten opener and in a split-second’s time considered her options. Nearly nothing had fallen from three-point range for the Trojans. It took 25 minutes Sunday just to see one three-pointer drop, and the Trojans had made only two.

But the mere threat of the freshman pulling up from range, even on a night defined by defensive struggle, was enough to give Davidson the sliver of space she needed. After pausing she raced past her defender and toward the basket, lifting for a finger roll that propelled USC past Washington in a 59-50 victory.

The win wasn’t just a significant statement for USC ahead of its heavyweight battle with No. 1 Connecticut next Saturday. It was also a major mile marker for Lindsay Gottlieb, who became the fastest coach in program history to reach 100 wins.

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USC box score

Big Ten standings

USC-NOTRE DAME RIVALRY

From Bill Plaschke: The ongoing discussions about continuing the expired USC-Notre Dame football rivalry should begin with one basic truth.

Notre Dame needs USC more than USC needs Notre Dame.

The Irish are reeling today after they were stunningly left out of the 12-team College Football Playoff, but they never would have been part of the playoff conversation without a win over Holiday Bowl-bound USC.

The 10-2 Irish lost their first two games of the season before embarking on their usual cupcake schedule.

Somewhere in the muck of forgettable games against the likes of Boise State and Boston College and Navy, they needed a marquee win.

USC showed up in October and gave them the opportunity for that marquee win. Every year USC shows up in the middle of the season and gives them a chance at collecting that marquee win.

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UCLA BASKETBALL

From Antony Solorzano: Any time UCLA built a significant lead in the first half, Oregon tried to slow the the Bruins’ momentum with a timeout. The first call came after a UCLA built a 10-point advantage in the first quarter, with the second timeout after UCLA pulled ahead by 19 points.

It didn’t work — the Bruins remained in control of the game.

The No. 4 UCLA women’s basketball team (9-1) earned an 80-59 win over Oregon (10-1) during their Big Ten opener at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday.

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UCLA box score

Big Ten standings

UCLA WATER POLO

Frederico Jucá Carsalade scored with one second remaining to cap a four-goal fourth quarter, and UCLA rallied to beat USC 11-10 to win the men’s water polo championship Sunday at the Avery Aquatic Center.

It was the 14th championship for the second-seeded and defending champion Bruins (27-2), winning back-to-back titles for the fifth time.

USC (23-4), the top seed, was aiming for its 11th title — all since 1998 — in a tournament that began in 1969. The Trojans won six in a row from 2008 to 2013.

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DUCKS

Leo Carlsson scored two goals and rookie Beckett Sennecke had a goal and an assist in the Ducks’ 7-1 victory over the road-weary Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night.

Jacob Trouba, Mason McTavish, Alex Killorn and Frank Vatrano also scored for the Pacific Division-leading Ducks, who have won three of four. The Ducks took charge with a four-goal second period that featured a franchise-record 27 shots on Chicago’s net, capped by Carlsson’s 15th goal on a fluttering deflection for a 5-0 lead.

Ville Husso made 19 saves for the Ducks, who beat Chicago for the first time in three tries this season. Ryan Strome, Cutter Gauthier and Chris Kreider had two assists apiece.

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Ducks summary

NHL standings

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1940 — The Chicago Bears beat the Washington Redskins 73-0 for the most one-sided victory in NFL Championship play.

1942 — Georgia’s Frank Sinkwich wins the Heisman Trophy. Sinkwich ends his career holding the Southeastern Conference record for total offense with 2,399 yards.

1948 — Southern Methodist junior Doak Walker wins the Heisman Trophy. Walker over three years scores 303 points, including 40 touchdowns and 60 points after touchdowns.

1961 — Philadelphia’s Wilt Chamberlain scores 78 points and grabs 43 rebounds in a 151-147 triple overtime loss to the Lakers. Elgin Baylor leads the Lakers with 63 points.

1963 — Cookie Gilchrist of the Buffalo Bills sets an AFL record with 243 yards rushing and ties a league record with five touchdowns in a 45-14 rout of the New York Jets.

1977 — Texas running back Earl Campbell wins the Heisman Trophy.

1987 — Ron Hextall of the Philadelphia Flyers becomes the first NHL goaltender to shoot a puck into the opposing goal in a 5-2 victory over the Boston Bruins.

2000 — Shaquille O’Neal sets an NBA record by going 0-for-11 from the free-throw line as the SuperSonics beat the Lakers 103-95. He broke Wilt Chamberlain’s record, who went 0-for-10 for Philadelphia against Detroit on Nov. 4, 1960. O’Neal had 26 points and 16 rebounds.

2002 — Oakland quarterback Rich Gannon sets an NFL record with his 10th 300-yard game of the season, throwing for 328 yards in the Raider 27-7 win over San Diego and breaking a tie with Dan Marino, Warren Moon and Kurt Warner.

2007 — Florida quarterback Tim Tebow becomes the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy. He beats out Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, the first player since 1949 to finish second in consecutive seasons.

2011 — Three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols agrees to a $254-million, 10-year contract with the Angels on the final day of baseball’s winter meetings. Pujols’ contract is the second-highest in baseball history and only the third to break the $200 million barrier, following Alex Rodriguez’s $252 million, 10-year deal with Texas before the 2001 season and A-Rod’s $275 million, 10-year contract with the Yankees before the 2008 season.

2011 — The NBA and players union reach financial agreement to end a 161-day lockout, shortening the season by 16 games.

2012 — Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel becomes the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy, taking college football’s top individual prize after a record-breaking debut. Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o finishes a distant second and Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein is third in the voting.

2013 — Zach Johnson rallies from four shots behind with eight holes to play and beats Tiger Woods, the No. 1 player in golf, at the World Challenge. Johnson holes out from a drop area for par on the last hole to force a playoff and wins when Woods misses a 5-foot par putt on the first extra hole.

2013 — Lydia Ko, a 16-year-old from New Zealand, rallies to win her first title as a professional. Ko, making her second pro start, wins the Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters, closing with a 4-under 68 for a three-stroke victory over South Korea’s So Yeon Ryu. She won four pro events as an amateur, taking the Canadian Women’s Open the last two years.

2018 — Kyler Murray, Oklahoma, wins Heisman Trophy.

2022 — American basketball star Brittany Griner is released by Russian authorities in a prisoner exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout; Griner detained on drug smuggling charges since February 2022.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

The eight remaining candidates met with UCLA’s search committee on Zoom, each answering the same set of questions.

When those conversations ended, Martin Jarmond, the athletic director who was presiding over the Bruins’ quest to find their next great football coach, asked everyone on the committee to prioritize which candidates needed to be seen in person.

Everyone’s list included the same name: Bob Chesney.

The James Madison coach had already wowed the committee by then, according to multiple people with knowledge of the search who spoke with The Times on condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the process.

Chesney’s experience building programs into winners, established track record of success at multiple levels, ability to develop talent and appreciation for everything UCLA had to offer were all selling points that made him an attractive candidate early in a search lasting 2½ months.

Along the way, Chesney and the six-person committee nurtured a relationship based on shared values and mutual respect, according to those familiar with the process, making him feel prioritized when other potential suitors emerged as part of a coaching carousel that threatened to spin out of control as new openings materialized seemingly by the day.

After Jarmond and Erin Adkins, the executive senior associate athletic director who was also part of the search committee, flew to see Chesney last month in Virginia, the coach and his suitors came to the same conclusion — they were a perfect match. Chesney agreed to become the Bruins’ new coach on Dec. 1, accepting a five-year deal.

On Tuesday morning on campus inside the Luskin Center, UCLA will introduce a coach whose hiring might be the coup of the carousel.

“We owe UCLA students, alumni, supporters and fans a football program built to succeed in the modern age of college sports, and hiring coach Chesney will do just that,” search committee member Bob Myers said. “We not only believe in him as a head coach, but also as a person. His character and values were a huge factor in our decision. Coach Chesney exudes all the qualities you want in someone charged with leading our student-athletes at UCLA.”

The buzz around Chesney only intensified Sunday when James Madison was selected for the College Football Playoff, dramatically increasing his profile. UCLA has agreed to allow Chesney to coach the 12th-seeded Dukes (12-1) through a CFP run that starts Dec. 20 when they face fifth-seeded Oregon (11-1) at Autzen Stadium, the Bruins undoubtedly getting free air time during the TNT broadcast when their new coach is mentioned. The committee was firmly behind Chesney participating in the playoff, celebrating his team’s selection.

The process leading to Chesney’s hiring started as most coaching searches do, with a firing. The dismissal of coach DeShaun Foster on Sept. 14 after an 0-3 start — giving him a 5-10 record over a little more than one season — left the Bruins with a need to recalibrate their approach in picking a successor.

Martin Jarmond

(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

Jarmond identified three principal guidelines for the search while meeting with UCLA chancellor Julio Frenk. There needed to be alignment among everyone involved in the process about what they wanted in their new coach, ample investment to allow that coach to compete in the Big Ten and nationally, and ultimately the identification of a strong leader who embodied the school’s core values.

Jarmond was open to any candidate, including NFL coaches and college coordinators, but eventually came to prioritize sitting head coaches who had gone through the recent transformative changes in college sports involving the transfer portal, roster management and the name, image and likeness space. There was also a strong preference for someone who had experience turning around a program, building it into a sustained winner.

A search committee that included Jarmond, Adkins, Myers, sports executive Casey Wasserman, Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters and former Bruins linebacker Eric Kendricks cast a wide net, starting with a list of 40 possible candidates. The committee gathered preliminary background information on those coaches and met regularly via phone calls and in person, with Peters often joining via Zoom because he was based on the East Coast.

Peters offered intelligence based on his extensive network of NFL personnel who regularly visited college campuses and observed coaches. Myers and Wasserman provided insights based on their vast experience as top-level sports executives. Kendricks, who has spent a decade playing in the NFL, queried candidates on playing style, practice habits, accountability measures and coaching philosophy.

As the committee continued to gather information and assess possible fit, it halved the list of candidates to 20, then narrowed it further to 12 and then eight, which included seven sitting college head coaches and one college coordinator. After the round of Zoom calls, the committee identified six candidates it wanted to remain in contention. Jarmond and Adkins flew to see four candidates in person, keeping two others in the running for possible future meetings.

After every interview and in-person meeting, the committee members always asked themselves the same things: Did this candidate possess the qualities they were seeking and could he fulfill their vision for winning?

Chesney, 48, kept checking every box from early in the process. On his Zoom with the committee, Chesney detailed his plan for winning with the Bruins and gave examples of experiences at other schools that revealed his appreciation for what it took to succeed at a highly rigorous academic institution. His resume was just as impressive as his answers.

Chesney’s 132-51 record included success at the Division III, Division II, Football Championship Subdivision and Football Bowl Subdivision levels. Part of that success included dramatic turnarounds. Assumption, which had gone 3-7 under previous coach Corey Bailey in 2012, enjoyed a steady rise under Chesney, going from 6-5 in Year 1 to 7-4 in Year 2 to 11-2 in Year 3.

It was a similar story at Holy Cross, which had gone 4-7 the year before Chesney’s arrival. By Chesney’s second season, the Crusaders started a four-year run of making the FCS playoffs, reaching a quarterfinal in 2022.

While coach Curt Cignetti already had James Madison rolling, the Dukes going 11-2 and reaching the Armed Forces Bowl in 2023, Chesney has now managed in only two years to take the program somewhere his predecessor couldn’t — the CFP.

It’s that sort of sustained success that left UCLA’s search committee with no qualms about Chesney not having won at the Power Four level. Given Chesney’s track record, the committee believed that all he needed to win big at college football’s highest level was an opportunity.

UCLA plans to support its new coach with enhanced resources, making a significant commitment to grow its assistant coach salary pool alongside additional investment in front-office, recruiting and strength and conditioning personnel as well as a restructured NIL operation.

Jarmond and Adkins flew to Virginia on Sunday so that they could accompany Chesney on his flight to Southern California on Monday ahead of his introduction a day later. Chesney will return to James Madison on Wednesday, continuing preparations to take his team somewhere the Bruins hope he can lead them.

Feeling like winners already, the Bruins are about to unveil the coach who seems to have all the answers..

A brand-new NIL

Chesney is going to have some new resources at his disposal.

As part of an aggressive restructuring, UCLA has transitioned its name, image and likeness efforts for football to the same third-party media and branding agency that handles the school’s other teams.

Champion of Westwood will assist Chesney in an effort to elevate his team’s NIL endeavors in the same way it has for men’s basketball — through its Men of Westwood arm — as well as women’s basketball, softball and other teams on campus.

Working with NIL agency Article 41, which has staff on campus to help athletes build their brands through content creation and social media strategies, Champion of Westwood is striving to create new opportunities for football players as part of an all-inclusive approach.

“Everyone is committed to being very symbiotic on this, which I think will lead to success,” said Ken Graiwer, the UCLA alumnus who runs Champion of Westwood. “Supporting NIL is supporting the program.”

As part of a new subscriber model in which payments can be made on a one-time or recurring basis, Champion of Westwood is offering benefits such as exclusive merchandise and player video updates directly from the locker room after a game.

Among its corporate sponsors, Champion of Westwood has partnered with Paige, the same apparel company that outfitted Dodgers stars Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts.

“They were looking for the next generation of top athletes,” Graiwer said of Paige identifying UCLA as a client. “These are the great kinds of things that we’re doing.”

Champion of Westwood has also assembled a new advisory board that includes former UCLA quarterback Cory Paus, mega donor Michael Price and other heavyweights in the financial and entertainment sectors who can help facilitate introductions between players and individuals or companies interested in engaging them for NIL deals.

Olympic sport of the week: Men’s water polo

The UCLA men’s water polo team after winning the national championship.

(UCLA Athletics)

It was the sort of ending the cross-town rivalry deserved.

In another back-and-forth battle, Frederico Jucá Carsalade made sure the UCLA men’s water polo team came out on top with a goal as time expired Sunday at Stanford’s Avery Aquatic Center, lifting the Bruins to an 11-10 victory over USC in the national championship game.

USC’s Jack Martin had tied the score with 2:03 left before Carsalade’s goal gave UCLA its 125th NCAA title in school history and its second consecutive championship in men’s water polo. Carsalade finished with two goals and Ryder Dodd scored three, including back-to-back goals that pushed the Bruins into a 10-9 lead before the Trojans rallied.

It was payback after USC had won two of the three previous meetings between the teams this season. The victory gave UCLA coach Adam Wright his 10th NCAA title with the Bruins — six as head coach of the men’s water polo team, two as a player for the Bruins, one as head coach of the women’s water polo team and another as an assistant coach with the women’s team.

Opinion time

What is your level of happiness with the Bob Chesney hire?

Ecstatic, couldn’t be happier

Guardedly optimistic

In wait-and-see mode

This is the best they could do?

Click here to vote in our survey.

Poll results

We asked, “How optimistic are you for UCLA football in 2026?”

After 612 votes, the results:

They will qualify for a lower-tier bowl game, 47.1%
They will show some fight, but struggle to a losing record, 23.5%
It’s going to be another long season, 14.6%
They will make a quality bowl game, 10.7%
The Bruins will be in College Football Playoff contention, 4.1%

In case you missed it

Lauren Betts helps No. 3 UCLA pummel Oregon in Big Ten opener

Here are 15 reasons why UCLA should not abandon the Rose Bowl

Eric Dailey Jr. goes from zero to hero, powering UCLA to victory over Oregon

UCLA got its new football coach in Bob Chesney, but who will be coming with him?

‘That’s Bernie Madoff level’: UCLA’s Mick Cronin says agent greed drives player movement

Kroenke Sports and SoFi Stadium are new defendants in Rose Bowl lawsuit against UCLA

UCLA and USC football transfer portal tracker: Who’s in and who’s out?

Mixed results for UCLA on early signing day

How UCLA football salvaged its recruiting class, giving Bob Chesney an early boost

Have something Bruin?

Do you have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future UCLA newsletter? Email me at ben.bolch@latimes.com, and follow me on X @latbbolch. To order an autographed copy of my book, “100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die,” send me an email. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. My name is Eric Sondheimer. The state football championship games are this weekend, but there’s also another big moment happening Tuesday. The state basketball record for career scoring may be broken.

State record set to fall

Jason Crowe Jr. (left) and his father coach, Jason Crowe Sr. of Lynwood after winning state Division V championship in 2023.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

This is the week the four-year basketball career of Jason Crowe Jr. from Inglewood gets the respect it deserves. He’s on the verge of becoming California’s all-time career scoring leader. He has a game scheduled Tuesday against Beverly Hills at the old Morningside gym, and if all goes as expected, he’ll pass Tounde Yessoufou of Santa Maria St. Joseph, who scored 3,659 points from 2022-2025, according to the CalHiSports.com record book. Crowe is 29 points away from the record.

Crowe has been on fire in the last week, scoring 51, 50 and 41 points.

With his father, Jason Sr., serving as head coach, Crowe started his career at Lynwood before moving over to Inglewood last season. He averaged 36.0 points as a freshman when Lynwood won a Division V state championship, 37.4 points as a sophomore, 35.3 points last season at Inglewood and is averaging 43 points for 7-1 Inglewood.

He has signed with Missouri, where he and his family plan to move to after this year. His ability to score comes from his relentless ability to attack, draw fouls, make free throws and make shots.

He deserves a standing ovation Tuesday night when the record is his.

It’s championship weekend in Orange County with Saddleback College, Buena Park High and Fullerton High hosting state championship games. Here’s the schedule.

There will be an intriguing tripleheader on Saturday at Saddleback College. One of the best small-school matchups in recent years kicks off the day at 11:30 a.m. in a battle of unbeatens — Rio Hondo Prep vs. Sonora. Then Oxnard Pacifica faces Fresno Central East in the 1-A final at 3:30 p.m. followed by Santa Margarita taking on De La Salle for the Open Division championship at 8 p.m.

Dash Fifita of Santa Margarita is a 5-9, 195-pound All-CIF linebacker.

(Craig Weston)

Santa Margarita has linebacker Dash Fifita, a 5-foot-9, 195-pound senior who has risen up despite lacking the usual size for playing football at that position. The younger brother of Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita explains how he can be successful.

It was not a good week for City Section teams in the regional playoffs, with Carson, South Gate, San Fernando and Santee all falling. Here’s a report from Carson’s 35-33 loss to Delano Kennedy.

Los Alamitos High quarterback Colin Creason tries to evade the flying tackle attempt of San Diego Cathedral linebacker Cade Smith during the CIF Division 1-AA regional playoff game Friday night.

(Craig Weston)

Southern Section Division 2 champion Los Alamitos came up short in a 1-AA loss to Cathedral Catholic, but what a season it was for the Griffins. Here’s a report.

Signing day

Andrew Williams of Fremont is a 6-foot-5, 220-pound senior who committed to USC.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Wednesday was early signing day for high school football players, and it was historic for Fremont defensive end Andrew Williams.

He was a member of USC’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class and the first inner city player to sign with USC since 2017. Here’s a report.

Boys’ basketball

Sierra Canyon and Santa Margarita, ranked No. 1 and No. 2, took a trip to the East Coast and each lost to the same team, Maryland’s Bishop McNamara. Here’s this week’s top 25 rankings by The Times.

San Gabriel Academy, led by freshman Zach Arnold, a had a break-through win over previously unbeaten Redondo Union. Harvard-Westlake’s Joe Sterling, a Texas commit, scored 36 points helped by seven threes in a win over Francis Parker.

Village Christian knocked off Crespi behind freshman Will Conroy, then traveled to Hawaii to finish runner-up to Crean Lutheran. Point guard Hunter Caplan was tournament MVP for Crean Lutheran.

Etiwanda (9-0), Corona del Mar (7-0), Chaminade (9-0) and Brentwood (10-0) are all moving up after impressive starts this season. St. John Bosco (4-0) hosts its tournament this week. A big league game is Wednesday when Arcadia hosts Pasadena in a Pacific League opener. Also Sherman Oaks Notre Dame plays Village Christian on Tuesday.

Jayshawn Kibble has provided a lift for Washington Prep in the City Section. Here’s a report.

Girls basketball

Kaleena Smith of Ontario Christian.

(Craig Weston)

What a start it’s been for defending Southern Section Open Division champion Ontario Christian, which is 9-0 and won the Troy tournament Saturday by routing JSerra. Here’s the report.

Junior guard Kaleena Smith scored 30 points to be tourney MVP and teamed with sophomore Tatianna Griffin to make the Knights pretty much unbeaten in the opening month of the season.

JSerra ruined a match-up of Ontario Christian vs. Sierra Canyon by upsetting the Trailblazers 67-63. Sierra Canyon is still waiting for standout Jerzy Robinson to return from an injury. Vivian Grenald had 19 points and Rosie Santos 18 in JSerra’s win.

Soccer

Peyton Trayer (left) and Cora Fry are Santa Margarita girls soccer players who will leave in January to train with their college programs.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

The opening weeks of the soccer season have been marked by players trying to finish up club seasons and join their high school teams.

Some won’t even play when January comes around because they’ve decided to get an early start in college.

It’s an intriguing story how coaches are trying to maneuver through uncertain times on who’s coming and who’s going.

Here’s a report.

Cathedral and Loyola renew their boys’ soccer rivalry with a nonleague game on Tuesday night at Loyola.

Palos Verdes looks strong in its early matches in boys soccer.

Southern Section history

A 45-minute documentary on the history of the CIF Southern Section will get its first public airing on Saturday after the Santa Margarita-De La Salle football game on Spectrum.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

The late Dr. John Dahlem, the volunteer historian for the CIF Southern Section, worked hard before his passing to put together information that would form a 45-minute documentary on the history of the Southern Section.

It will make its public television debut Saturday night on Spectrum at the conclusion of the Santa Margarita vs. De La Salle football game.

A preview was shown at a movie theater on Sunday in Santa Ana for friends and former workers in the Southern Section, and it looks thorough, interesting and well put together by executive producer Taylor Martinez.

Current statistics in 2025 about the Southern Section.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

One of the more humorous moments is Dahlem discussing the hand grenade throw, which used to be a Southern Section sport. Also a look at how girls were not real sport participants until 1974 when the Southern Section began sponsoring playoffs for girls.

Former commissioner Rob Wigod serves as the film narrator, and he might have a future in that endeavor.

Notes . . .

Erick Morales has resigned as football coach at La Puente. . . .

Standout Mater Dei girls basketball player Kaeli Wynn won’t play this season because of a knee injury that will require surgery. She has committed to South Carolina. . . .

Junior pitcher Charlie Fuller from Mater Dei has committed to Oklahoma State. . . .

Here’s the All-City girls volleyball teams. . . .

Whittier is looking for a new football coach after Jimmy Welker was let go following two seasons as head coach. . . .

In January, Palisades students are expected to return to their campus with sports teams being allowed to use facilities after the Palisades fire damaged the campus. Students will be housed in portable bungalows and have use of 70% of the campus. Here’s the report.

From the archives: Michael Wilson

Michael Wilson with the catch for Chaminade in 2017.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Former Chaminade receiver Michael Wilson, in his NFL third season with Arizona, has been coming on strong this season. He had consecutive games of at least 10 receptions and more than 100 yards receiving.

The former Stanford receiver caught 70 passes his junior season at Chaminade. He also was an outstanding point guard until giving up basketball. He was a third-round draft pick.

Here’s a story from 2017 describing how Wilson got his offer from Stanford.

Recommendations

From the Washington Post, a story on a high school football program that was best in Maryland, then the coach left, players transferred and now the team can’t win any games.

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on the life of former Morningside High and Lakers center Elden Campbell, who has died.

From the Wall Street Journal, a story on former Mission Viejo and Bishop Alemany receiver Phillip Bell, alleging possible CIF violations during his days in high school.

Tweets you might have missed

Until next time….

Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.

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PHILADELPHIA — LeBron James needed to send this message.

He still sits on his throne.

The Lakers superstar scored 10 consecutive points late in the fourth quarter to seal a 112-108 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, finishing with 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists to help the Lakers (17-6) nab two wins out of a difficult three-game trip.

Philadelphia (13-10) crawled back from a 10-point deficit in the third quarter and tied the score with 1:28 remaining on a shot by Joel Embiid. James answered with a fadeaway three-pointer over Quentin Grimes with 1:11 left. He all but iced the game with a 20-foot fadeaway over Grimes with 27.3 seconds remaining.

Running back up the court, James held both hands low in a “too small” signal. He placed an invisible crown on his head. He soaked in the roars from the crowd and punctuated it with his signature silencer celebration.

“That was vintage Bron,” said Luka Doncic, who finished with 31 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists after a two-game absence for the birth of his second child. “We’re happy he was there to save us.”

James played in his 1,015th win, passing Robert Parish for the second most in NBA history. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the record with 1,074. The Lakers won for the first time in Philadelphia since Dec. 7, 2017.

Doncic rejoined the team Saturday after he flew from L.A. to his native Slovenia on Dec. 1. Between the 12-hour flight, a nine-hour time difference and being present for the birth of his daughter Olivia, the last week was a blur for Doncic.

Doncic still made his return look effortless, notching his second triple-double of the season.

But the 26-year-old acknowledged he was mentally and physically tired by the fourth quarter. Austin Reaves, who has averaged 40 points in games Doncic missed, misfired on his first eight shots and finished with just 11 points.

Lakers star LeBron James dunks in front of Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, left, during the first half Sunday.

(Chris Szagola / Associated Press)

Calling on James as their third scoring option showcases the Lakers’ embarrassment of riches.

“His play throughout the game gave us such a lift,” coach JJ Redick said, noting James’ screening and ability to create advantages. “… LeBron was like our connector tonight.”

Trailing by 10 with less than a minute remaining in the second quarter, the Lakers started the third on a 9-3 run to cut the deficit to one before building a 10-point lead with 1:40 left in the quarter. Then James’ heroics helped them hold on.

Deandre Ayton had 14 points on seven-for-seven shooting with 12 rebounds. Rui Hachimura scored 17 points as all five starters finished in double figures to hold off a fourth-quarter charge from the 76ers, who were led by 28 points, nine assists and seven rebounds from star guard Tyrese Maxey.

“That’s the beautiful thing about our team,” Reaves said, “is it’s not even just us three.”

With Doncic and Reaves off to career-best starts, the Lakers are 11-5 without James, who missed the first 14 games because of sciatica. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer had never missed the beginning of a season — in his life, James stressed. Missing training camp, preseason games and practices affected James not only physically but also mentally. James had to remind himself to fall “in love with the process” to rediscover his rhythm.

His trust paid off Sunday as he scored 12 of the Lakers’ 25 fourth-quarter points.

“It’s important to be reminded every now and then of what you’re capable of,” Redick said. “For him to have the injuries, and then to sort of start the season playing catch-up in a way, and start the season playing catch-up with a team that is also in a really good rhythm, and that’s, as a player, I don’t care how good you are, that’s tough to figure out.”

Three weeks shy of his 41st birthday, James missed the previous game in Boston because of sciatica and joint arthritis in his left foot. While he made the winning assist in the Lakers’ thrilling victory in Toronto, he also lost his 1,297-game streak of scoring 10 or more points. It felt like he finally was starting to show signs of his age.

Then he unleashed a signature one-handed tomahawk dunk in transition during the first quarter against the 76ers. It was a not-so-gentle reminder that James won’t ride into the twilight of his career quietly.

“Just at 40 years old, I mean, it just takes awhile for my body to kind of get back into a rhythm,” James said. “And so it felt good tonight to kind of feel like myself a little bit, being able to run and jump and cut and catch my second wind a lot faster tonight. Hopefully that stays.”

Every made basket from James made the Philadelphia fans clamor for more. Even the road fans hope James stays longer too.