By Joe Snyder
North Torrance High’s baseball team won its second Pioneer League game of the season with an 8-3 victory over host Peninsula High on March 19 in Rolling Hills Estates.
The Saxons jumped on the Panthers early with four runs in the top of the first inning and two more in the second for a 6-0 lead. North added one run apiece in the top of the third and fourth for an 8-2 lead.
Daniel Park sparked the Saxons (6-7-1 overall and 2-4 in league) by going 3-for-4 with one run batted in and two runs scored. Shane Yamamoto was 2-for-4 with two RBI’s and one run. Eric Mirabal had a two-run home run.
Winning pitcher Nolan Shiroma went five innings, allowing two runs (none earned) on three hits.
Last Friday at North, the Saxons lost to cross town rival South Torrance 4-1.
Lucas Blackwood drove in the only run on a base hit in the bottom of the third for North. Nikko Archuetta, who went 2-for-3, scored the Saxons’ only run.
The Spartans were led by Issac Orozco who had a two-run homer.
Despite the loss, North starting pitcher Carter Murakami went 4 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts and three walks. He gave up all four runs on six hits.
South pitcher Manon Lumick went five innings limiting the Saxons to three hits. He struck out six and walked one.
On March 17 at North, the Saxons played San Pedro Mary Star of the Sea to a 1-1 tie in a non-league game.
North hosted Wiseburn-Da Vinci on Wednesday and visit the Wolves in El Segundo in a Pioneer League game Friday at 3:15 p.m.
Serra is just 2-4 in the Del Rey League after splitting its two games against Paraclete last week. At Paraclete in Lancaster on March 18, the Cavaliers lost to the Spirits 7-1. Last Friday at Serra, the Cavaliers topped Paraclete 5-3 to take the league season series from the Spirits.
Serra (which is 6-0 in non-league and 8-4 overall) play a pair of non-league contests this week. The Cavaliers hosted Legacy from South Gate on Wednesday and remain at home against Lennox Academy Friday at 3:15 p.m. Serra returns to Del Rey action against Pasadena La Salle next Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Arcadia Regional Park.
Plagued by some rainouts, Gardena High’s baseball team got two games last week. In a non-league contest against Harbor Teacher Prep at Los Angeles Harbor College in Wilmington on March 19, the Panthers held on for an 8-6 victory.
In a Dorsey Tournament contest last Saturday at Jackie Robinson Field in the L.A.-Crenshaw District, Evan Han of L.A. University High hurled a no-hitter as the Wildcats blanked Gardena 2-0. Han struck out 15 batters and walked none but three University errors prevented Han from throwing a perfect game.
The Wildcats mustered just two hits but three Panther errors led University to scoring two unearned runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Gardena committed seven miscues for the game.
In the Panthers’ win over the Monarchs, Anthony Garcia continued to shine going 3-for-4 with one RBI and two runs. He drove in a run with a double.
Garcia was also the winning pitcher going three innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits with seven strikeouts.
Chris Alvarez had a three-run double for Gardena, which is currently 5-4.
Gardena began Marine League play at home against Banning on Wednesday and will visit the Pilots in Wilmington Friday at 3 p.m. The Panthers play in the Dorsey Tournament against Hollywood High Saturday at 10 a.m. before returning to league at Carson next Wednesday at 3 p.m.
Lady Toros advance to DII Final Four
Cal State Dominguez Hills’ women’s basketball team advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Division II playoffs after rolling over Coker University from South Carolina 82-66 last Monday at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh, PA.
The Lady Toros led virtually the entire game in taking a 42-27 halftime lead and continued its comfortable advantage throughout the rest of the contest.
Christina Jones sparked CSDH with 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight steals. Cal State Dominguez’s leading scorer was Teagan Thurman with 23 points. Thurman also pulled down five rebounds. Nala Williams added 19 points.
The Toros, who improved to 35-1 overall, faced Union University from Tennessee on Wednesday. If they win, they play on Saturday.
The Cal State Dominguez men began their Elite Eight playoffs against No. 2 seed West Liberty from South Carolina in Evansville, Illinois on Tuesday. If the Toros win, they play in the semifinals today. The championship is Saturday.
Both CSDH men and women are seeking their first ever NCAA crowns.
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Nationals sweep Americans in SB Classic
Last Friday’s South Bay All-Star Boys’ and Girls’ All-Star Classic at Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance showed its usual, fun basketball.
The top seniors in the South Bay made a good display of those three-pointers and slam dunks, along with some creative ways to score.
In the end of each game, the National All-Star teams recorded a sweep of the American teams in boys’ and girls’ basketball. It started with the National girls downing the Americans 81-59. Like most other all-star boys’ games, it was a high scoring affair with the Nationals pulling away from the Americans 146-133. Due to the all-stars where everyone involved gets action, the girls’ game were 10-minute quarters and the boys were 12-minute quarters but both went very fast since there were not a lot of fouls, timeouts, or injuries. It was just the seniors having fun showing their skills.
The girls started with the National team surging to a 23-14 lead after the first quarter but the American squad outscored the Nationals 24-19 to trail by four points (42-38). The second half saw the Nationals pull away outscoring the American team 39-21.
Westchester High guard Aliyah Muhammad was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after scoring a game-high 26 points for the Nationals. Ava Lee of West Torrance added 22 points. Monica Villanueva chipped in 13 points but her final three was a half-court three-point basket at the final buzzer. South Torrance High’s Jovie Lee contributed 12 points.
Kali Quan, who keyed Rolling Hills Prep from San Pedro to the CIF-Southern Section Division IIA title with a dramatic come-from-behind 54-52 win over Fullerton Rosary on Feb. 28 at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, led the Americans with 15 points, followed closely by Coco Funakoshi (Redondo) with 14.
In the boys’ contest, the Nationals led throughout most of the game taking leads of 38-22 after the first period and 74-68 at halftime.
As the American squad closed in on the big early National lead going from 16 points in the first quarter to six at halftime, it outscored the Nationals 36-22 in the third period for a 104-102 lead. The Americans led by six points (104-98) with just over a minute left in the quarter.
The Nationals, though, rolled in the fourth period outscoring the Americans 44-29 for the 13-point win.
It was the Redondo High duo of Hudson Mayes of the Nationals and the Americans’ Brayden Miner that put on the biggest show. Mayes, who was a candidate for the prestigious McDonalds All-American All-Star Classic and is still expected to play in another all-star game, led the National squad with 29 points and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. In a losing cause, Brayden Miner, the son of former National Basketball Association star Harold Miner (mostly from the 1990’s and early 2000’s decade), led the Americans with 28 points. Both sparked the Sea Hawks to a 2-2 record in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division pool play, including wins over Bellflower St. John Bosco and Northridge Heritage Christian, and the finals of the Southern California Regional Division I playoffs where they fell to host and eventual CIF-State Division I champion Chatsworth Sierra Canyon 74-68 on March 11. Redondo tied for the Bay League title with rival Manhattan Beach Mira Costa splitting their two league games but the Sea Hawks topping the Mustangs 72-66 in the regional semifinals on March 4 at Redondo.
Locally, Bishop Montgomery’s Denis Woods finished with 15 points, 10 of those in the first quarter, and Gardena High’s Willie Denham had four points. Justin Criori (South Torrance) put in 10 points.
The Americans had 16 points from Josh Palmer (Playa del Rey St. Bernard), 14 from Mateo Trujillo (Rolling Hills Prep) and 11 from Bryson Bryker (Mira Costa). North Torrance’s Josiah Nunez tallied eight points, all in the second period. The American squad was co-coached by North Torrance head coach Wai Sett, along with Harbor City Narbonne’s Kumase Demesma.
“It was really fun,” Sett said about coaching in the South Bay All-Star Classic, 31st for the boys and 28th for the girls. “The kids played real competitively.”
Kole Tanaka-Lee played in the contest for the Nationals but did not score.
The Saxons won their third consecutive Pioneer League title at 7-1 and were 20-9 overall but fell in the second round of the CIF-Southern Section Division IIA playoffs to Hacienda Heights Los Altos 83-51. Gardena placed third in the Marine League. The Panthers made the CIF-Los Angeles City Section Division I quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion and host Granada Hills Charter 57-39.
