By Joe Snyder
Serra High’s young and inexperienced boys’ basketball team continued to struggle in the always rigorous Del Rey League with losses to Santa Fe Springs St. Paul and Long Beach St. Anthony last week.
At Serra on Jan. 8, the Cavaliers fought hard but fell short of the Swordsmen 54-48. At St. Anthony on Friday, the Saints overpowered Serra 105-42.
Against St. Paul, Serra (8-9 overall and 0-3 in league) was led by Chinemerem Anyikwa with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists. Jeremiah Graham added 10 points, five rebounds and four assists.
On Friday, the Cavaliers were pitted against last season’s CIF-Southern Section Division IIAA champion St. Anthony and the Saints continue their quest for another title. Serra trailed 24-16 after the first quarter but St. Anthony poured it on the Cavaliers over the rest of the game; especially in the second period that saw the Saints outscore Serra 31-8 for a 55-24 halftime lead. St. Anthony continued to dominate the Cavaliers, outscoring them 50-18 to win by 63 points.
Serra had one player score in double figures in Graham with 14 points. Daniel Roberson chipped in eight points, followed by Khary Wilder with six.
St. Anthony was led by Aman Haynes with 22 points. Mikey Cortez contributed 19 points and Esien Wilson had 15.
“We were tired,” Serra head coach De John Frazier said. “We had a good game against St. Paul and a game against Bernstein on Monday (Jan. 6). We have a lot of sophomores and juniors. Win or lose, we stick to our principle and play with heart. We build with that on the hardwood. We’ve been on a roller coaster. We’ll compete against everybody we play against.”
In a non-league game on Jan. 6 at Serra, the Cavaliers topped Bernstein from Hollywood 72-58, behind 40 points by Graham. Graham also had eight rebounds and three steals. Anyikwa tallied 10 points, five rebounds and three assists. Wiler had nine points, nine rebounds and three assists.
The Cavaliers returned home to take on rival St. Bernard from Playa del Rey last Monday. Serra went on the road to face its other league rival, Bishop Montgomery in Torrance, on Wednesday before going to league power St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy in Downey for a 7 p.m. game Friday. The Cavaliers have a showcase (site unavailable) non-league game against Lancaster on Saturday at 9:50 a.m. before returning to league at St. Monica in Santa Monica next Monday at 7 p.m. Serra already lost its first Del Rey game to the Mariners 68-29 on Jan. 3 at Serra.
_________________________________-
North edges South, falls to West; fires cancel Gardena High School’s games
North Torrance High’s boys’ basketball team began the Pioneer League by rallying for a 55-54 home win over cross town rival South Torrance on Jan. 8.
Ethan Edwards scored the winning basket on a lay-up with 23 seconds left in the game to pull the game out for the Saxons.
Giovanni Gilpin, a transfer from Clovis North High, led North (11-9 overall and 1-1 in league) with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Isayah Douglas added 16 points.
Last Friday at North, the Saxons fell to another rival, West Torrance, 60-43.
The Warriors, who evened their Pioneer record to 1-1 and are 12-9 overall, were led by Ben Heinemann with a game-high 24 points. Dylan Clark and Chris Tran, chipped in 13 and 12 points, in order. North was led by Gilpin with 18 points.
After visiting El Segundo last Tuesday, the Saxons visit Torrance High, which is displaying a 17-3 overall record and 2-0 in league, Friday at 7 p.m. North will play Moreno Valley Rancho Verde in a non-league game Saturday at 9 a.m. and Bellflower next Monday at 11 a.m. over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend before returning to Pioneer at South on Jan. 24 at 7 p.m.
Gardena had its Marine League games delayed due to postponements caused by the Los Angeles Fires, mostly in Pacific Palisades and Altadena-Pasadena from the Eaton Canyon Fire, last week. The Panthers were to visit Carson on Jan. 8 and host Narbonne last Friday but were called off due to the dangerous air quality caused by the fires. Those games were moved to Jan. 27 at 4:30 p.m. at Carson and Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. against the Gauchos at Gardena.
Barring any further fires that could continue the very poor air quality, the Panthers visited San Pedro on Wednesday and Banning in Wilmington on Friday at 4:30 p.m. Gardena will travel to Providence High in Burbank for a non-league showcase game against North Hollywood on Saturday at 1 p.m. before returning to Marine action at home against Rancho Dominguez Prep from Long Beach next Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.
______________________________________
North girls record impressive wins vs. Mira Costa, West
North Torrance High’s girls’ basketball team is off to a 3-0 start in the Bay League after recording wins over Manhattan Beach Mira Costa and crosstown rival West Torrance in home games last week.
On Jan. 7, the Lady Saxons were impressive after routing a very good Mira Costa team 67-42. Last Friday, North defeated the Warriors 66-53.
Against West, which fell to 0-3 in Bay action, the Saxons were led by Keimi Santiago with 27 points. Leila Fitzgerald recorded a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Camryn Shimazaki added 15 points.
North is currently tied for first place with Redondo as the Saxons showed down against the Sea Hawks (3-0 in league and 12-7 overall) last Tuesday. North visits Peninsula in Rolling Hills Estates Friday at 5 p.m. before a showcase game (site unavailable) against Glendora Saturday at noon. North resumes league at Mira Costa on Jan. 24 at 5:30 p.m.
Serra is also 3-0 in the Camino Real League after nipping host Ramona Convent 36-35 last Friday in Alhambra.
Jaden Foster led the Lady Cavaliers with a game-high 22 points, four rebounds and four steals. Yve Young chipped in six points.
Serra (8-9 overall) hosted St. Joseph High from Lakewood last Tuesday and travel to Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary for a 7 p.m. league game today. The Cavaliers host Bishop Conaty-Loretto from near Downtown Los Angeles Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and Santa Fe Springs St. Paul Monday at 7 p.m. Serra visits St. Paul on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Gardena had both of its first two Marine League games slated at home against Carson on Jan. 8 and on the road against Narbonne last Friday postponed due to the Los Angeles fires and smoke causing dangerous air quality. In the revised schedule, if no further fires or smoke occur, the Lady Panthers host the Colts on Jan. 27 and visit Narbonne on Feb. 3, both league games starting at 4:30 p.m.
Gardena was to host San Pedro on Wednesday and Wilmington Banning on Friday at 4:30 p.m. The Panthers will play a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day showcase game (site unavailable) against Rolling Hills Prep on Monday at 5 p.m. before returning to Marine action at Rancho Dominguez Prep in Long Beach next Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
