THE HIGH SCHOOLS : Granada Hills Avoids Date With Crenshaw in 1st Round of Playoffs

By virtue of its strong finish, Granada Hills High was granted a reprieve of sorts Tuesday and will not have to face highly regarded Crenshaw in the first round of the boys’ City Section 4-A Division basketball playoffs Friday night.

Granada Hills, which had fallen into last place in the North Valley League, won its last two games with upsets of Kennedy and Taft. The Highlanders finished tied for third in league play with Kennedy at 5-5 but won a coin toss Tuesday to decide the league’s third-place representative. All 4-A boys’ teams qualify for postseason play.

Granada Hills (13-8) will play at Dorsey, although the site might be switched to Hamilton High to accommodate more spectators, according to Lee Joseph, a City Section administrator. Kennedy (12-8), loser of four consecutive games, will play at Crenshaw, the division’s No. 3-seeded team.

In the girls’ 4-A Division, North Hollywood (16-4) won a coin toss and will enter the playoffs as the Mid-Valley League’s first-place representative. The Huskies will play host to Dorsey on Friday. Reseda (14-3), which tied North Hollywood in league play with a record of 9-1, will play at Palisades.