Gardena High’s baseball team continued to struggle in the brutal Division I sector of the Marine League with lopsided losses to Narbonne last week.
At Narbonne on April 14, the Gauchos hammered the Panthers 13-1. At Gardena last Thursday, Narbonne shut out Gardena 12-0 as the Panthers managed only one hit. Both games were finished in five innings due to the 10-run-plus mercy rule.
Gardena High’s baseball team continued to struggle in the brutal Division I sector of the Marine League with lopsided losses to Narbonne last week.
At Narbonne on April 14, the Gauchos hammered the Panthers 13-1. At Gardena last Thursday, Narbonne shut out Gardena 12-0 as the Panthers managed only one hit. Both games were finished in five innings due to the 10-run-plus mercy rule.
Last Thursday, the Gauchos, who are 19-6 overall and 4-0 in league, were led by Dylan Grey who went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs. Grey also pitched two innings striking out all six Gardena batters.
Returning CIF-Los Angeles City Section Division I player Dan Rocha was 2-for-3 with a double single and one run batted in.
Christopher Lopez had the only hit for the Panthers.
At Narbonne, Roman Ale, also the starting quarterback on Narbonne’s CIF-L.A. City Section Division I champion Gauchos, had a home run and double for four RBI’s. Winning pitcher Bryan Correa pitched four innings limiting Gardena to two hits.
The Panthers scored their only run in the top of the fifth when Lopez singled home Andrew Ibarra.
Gardena (4-5 overall and 0-4 in league) hopes to finally pick up wins as it faces the Marine’s other 0-4 team, Washington, this week. These are the two Division II squads in the league. The Panthers hosted the Generals Tuesday and visit Washington today at 3 p.m.
Currently, Gardena is shorthanded with just 10 players on its roster.
“We’re looking forward to these games,” Gardena head coach Robert Romero said. “We need to practice better and get focused. Narbonne has the ability and we don’t focus the way they do.”
The Panthers go back to the harder part as they host San Pedro next Tuesday at 3 p.m.
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Track and Field
Williams sparks Serra at Mt. SAC
By Joe Snyder
Sports Editor
Serra High senior Jaela Williams finished second in the prestigious invitational division of the 100-meter hurdles with a sizzling time of 13.69 seconds at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays last Saturday in Walnut.
Williams finished behind winner Jasmine Brown from Eastvale Roosevelt, who performed in one of the top times in the United States at 13.29. Williams, who now lives in Gardena, transferred to Serra from Roosevelt and competed with Brown while there.
Her 13.69 timing is her personal best and also one of the tops in the country. She ran the 100 hurdles clocking 14.10 a week earlier at the Arcadia Invitational but her previous personal best was 13.78 in the CIF-Southern Section Masters Championships last season at Cerritos College. She placed second at the race and made the California state championship at the event.
Williams was also sixth in the invitational 100-meter dash in 11.88.
Another outstanding performance for the Lady Cavaliers was accomplished by Madison Golden who placed a close second in the seeded 200 timing 24.61. She finished only .04 of a second behind winner Margaux Jones from Redlands.
Carson was sparked by Justin Collins. Collins won the invitational 300-meter intermediate hurdles in 37.44, the top time in California this year. He also took third at the 110-meter high hurdles clocking 13.95.
The Colts’ boys’ 4×100-meter relay squad won their seeded race at 42.29. Runners included Collins, Marquel Angelo, Brandon Hasson and Ryan Hall.
Carson’s girls also had a strong showing in the hurdles as the team of Jeanette Paul, Kristina Gumbs, Mylia Gray and Jelani Minix won the 400-meter shuttles clocking 1:02.85.
The Colts also had a seeded triple jump win by Jonon Young (37 feet, three inches) and a second place finish from Tamara McVickar in the seeded high jump (5-4).
The busy track and field day also included the South Bay Championships at West Torrance and the host Warriors took advantage of it by winning the title with 191.5 points to 170.5 for second place Manhattan Beach Mira Costa and 121 for third place Redondo.
West was led by Yousef Baddour who won the 1,600-meter run in 4:24.73. Nathaniel Gidanian finished second in the pole vault at 14 feet and Tyler Luis placed third in the 100 timing 11.06 seconds.
Adroap Skelton of Torrance captured the discus with a toss of 134-3.5.
North Torrance had a second place finish from Henry Nguyen in the discus at 128-5.
Carson’s Justin Sariano won the long jump at 21-2. Also for the Colts, Maurice Jones finished second in the 300 hurdles in 40.46.
In the girls’ division, South Torrance and North Torrance were fourth and fifth with 106.14 and 93 points, in order. Redondo won the meet over runner-up Mira Costa 179-131.28. Culver City took third with 112.14.
For the Spartans, Kimberly Cosia was not at her best but she still won the 3,200 clocking 11:00.34. South also won the 4×400 relay at 4:10.31 and placed second in the 4×100 (49.05).
For North, Daylene Tauadii tied Culver City’s Audrey Davies for the shot put title, each throwing 32-1.
The Saxons also did well in the discus with Kaylyn Sumber (107-4) and Talei Fatafehi (106-8) finishing second and third, respectively. Redondo’s Ashley Wells won the discus at 116-1.
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Serra Baseball
Serra splits against two top teams
By Joe Snyder
Sports Editor
After blowing a 5-0 lead in an 8-5 non-league loss at Long Beach Wilson on April 15, Serra High’s baseball team bounced back to top a very good Alemany squad 5-2 in a Harvard-Westlake Tournament game last Saturday in Mission Hills.
Sophomore winning pitcher Cardinal Fernandezees pitched a complete game; scattering nine hits, striking out four batters and walking two.
Morgan Lomax sparked the Cavaliers’ offense by going 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Gary McCoy went 1-for-3 with two runs batted in and Mateo Brambila was 1-for-4 with one RBI and one run.
The Indians were led by Ruben Cardenas who went 3-for-4.
On April 15, Serra held a 5-0 lead but the Bruins let loose for eight runs in the bottom of the sixth to steal the game from the Cavaliers.
Sophomore Adrian Morales went 2-for-4, drove in two runs and scored once. Senior Daniel Wheeler was 2-for-4 with two RBI’s.
Jacob Barham gave Serra fits by going 4-for-4 with four RBI’s for Wilson.
Serra returned to the Del Rey with two games against St. Paul this week. The Cavaliers hosted the Swordsmen Tuesday and visit St. Paul in Santa Fe Springs Friday at 3:15 p.m. On Saturday, Serra will play in the Harvard-Westlake Tournament against the host Wolverines in Studio City Saturday at 11 a.m. before returning to league at home against defending CIF-Southern Section Division III champion La Puente Bishop Amat next Tuesday at 3:15 p.m.
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All-South Bay Basketball
Serra’s Morrow and Bishop Montgomery’s Thompson get top South Bay players
By Joe Snyder
Sports Ediotr
Serra High standout Nautica Morrow was named the South Bay Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year by the Daily Breeze last week.
With a team that had no returning starters, Morrow, who was a key reserve on the 2014 Serra High girls’ basketball squad that reached the Southern California Division IV finals. This year, it was up to her to keep the Cavaliers’ success.
Morrow averaged 12.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 3.8 steals to key Serra to the California State Division I championship game before the Cavaliers, after coming from a 10-point deficit in the final 58 seconds of regulation to tie Sacramento McClatchy, lost in double overtime to the Lions 65-61 on March 27 at UC Berkeley’s Haas Pavilion.
Morrow plays her college basketball at Cal State Northridge in the fall.
On the first team all-area for the Cavaliers was junior Briana Johnson, who averaged a team-high 13.7 points per game, including scoring 21 points that included a game-tying three-point basket against McClatchy. Johnson also had 21 points in Serra’s 61-45 overtime win over Ventura to capture the Southern California Division I crown on March 21 at Long Beach State University’s Walter Pyramid, and 31 in Serra’s regional semifinal victory over Vista Murrieta.
After winning the Del Rey League, the Lady Cavaliers made the CIF-Southern Section Open Division but lost in the first round to Chatsworth Sierra Canyon. After consolation wins over CIF-Los Angeles City Section Division I champion Westchester and Riverside J.W. North, Serra fell to host Oaks Christian in the consolation championship in Westlake Village.
The South Bay girls enjoyed one of their best years ever with Southern Section championships from Torrance schools, North (Division IIIAA), South (Division IIA), West (Division IA) and Bishop Montgomery (Division IVAA), along with Redondo (Division IIAA). Westchester captured the City Division I title.
For the Lady Saxons, who won the Pioneer League crown, sophomore Brittany McPherson made first team and senior Katelyn Serizawa was on second team.
The Warriors had sophomore forward Jasmine Jones on first team and Kayla Scott on second team.
The Spartans had senior forward Jaryn Fajardo make first team.
The Knights had senior guards Christine Dalapina and Chelsea Montgomery make first team and Jessica Malazarte on second team.
Narbonne, which was CIF-L.A. City Section Open Division finalist, had senior guard Laticia Smith on first team and senior forward Tybriann Jones on second team.
Coach of the Year was Redondo’s Marcelo Enriquez, who guided the Sea Hawks to their fifth Southern Section crown in his 19 years of coaching. Redondo advanced to the Southern California Division II finals where it lost to Alhambra Mark Keppel 48-44.
For the boys, Bishop Montgomery guard and Gardena resident Stephen Thompson, Jr. was the Player of the Year.
Thompson, who was also named fifth team all-American by Maxpreps, keyed the Knights to the CIF-Southern Section Open Division championship by averaging 24.3 points, 5.2 assists and 2.6 steals per game.
After winning the Southern Section Open Division, Bishop Montgomery fell to eventual regional Open Division champion Santa Ana Mater Dei 65-59 in the semifinals on March 18 at Redondo High. The Monarchs went on to top CIF-L.A. City Open Division champion Fairfax 51-40 for the Southern California title then lost in overtime to Oakland Bishop O’ Dowd 65-64 in the California State Open Division championship game on March 28 at UC Berkeley. Mater Dei only made the Southern Section Open Division semifinals before falling to Etiwanda 52-49.
Thompson takes his talents to Oregon State University where his father, Stephen Thompson, Sr., is an assistant coach this fall.
The talented Knights have three other all-area players in first team sophomore guards Jordan Schakel and Ethan Thompson, Stephen Jr.’s younger brother. Senior forward Christian Oshita made second team.
Narbonne senior guard Shane Carney, who transferred from Gardena with head coach Anthony Hilliard after the Panthers won the City Division II crown two years ago, landed on first team. He helped the Gauchos win the Marine League and make the CIF-L.A. City Section Open Division where they won one of three games. That was against Marine rival Gardena in the Open Division semifinals.
Sophomore guard Jordan Tang made second team for Pioneer League runner-up, behind champion Lawndale Leuzinger, South Torrance.
Coach of the Year was Lawndale’s Christopher Brownlee. Brownlee guided the Cardinals to their best season in school history where they made the CIF-Southern Section Division IIAA finals before losing a wild double overtime 103-98 game to Anaheim Canyon after leading by as many as 28 points late in the third quarter on March 6 at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Lawndale advanced to the Southern California Division II finals before falling to eventual state champion La Mirada 49-40 on March 21 at Long Beach State. The Matadors edged San Jose Archbishop Mitty 71-70 in double overtime for the state crown on March 28 at UC Berkeley.
There were three double overtime games and one single overtime contest in the state finals.
