Serra falls to Bishop Montgomery; routs Cathedral

Serra High’s boys’ basketball team split its two tough Del Rey League games, beginning with a 68-59 home loss to rival Torrance Bishop Montgomery on Jan. 19. That game was followed when a big fi rst half sparked the Cavaliers to a 95- 75 victory over host Cathedral High last Friday night near Downtown Los Angeles. Against Cathedral, Serra, which is 16-7 overall and 3-2 in league, had a red hot fi rst half scoring 68 points to 35 for the Phantoms. The Cavaliers led 38-18 after the fi rst quarter. Tomi Adesiji led Serra with 25 points, followed by Jeremy Dent-Smith with 20. Duke Gipson added 13 points. The Cavaliers found themselves in the reverse situation in the fi rst half of the game with the Knights. Serra mustered only 17 points in the fi rst half, including fi ve in the fi rst quarter. Bishop Montgomery had leads of 13-5 after the fi rst period and 25-17 at halftime. Both teams shot better in the second half as Serra got as close as four points on a few occasions. The Knights were able to put the game away on key free throws by Kyle Russell, Jordan Vazquez and Kelley Phipps. Being benched for much of the fi rst half by fouls, Jeremy Dent-Smith managed to come back in the second half to score 16 of his game-high 18 points. Dent-Smith was the Cavaliers’ only player to score in double fi gures with their second leading scorer, Adesiji, chipping in nine points. Laquon Cole contributed eight points. Bishop Montgomery was led by Phipps with 16 points. Vazquez fi nished with 14 points and Will Smith had 13. In non-league action at Heritage Christian High in Northridge on Saturday, Serra fell on the short end of a 71-60 score. The Cavaliers will host Lawndale in a non-league game today at 7:30 p.m. before staying at home to face rival Playa del Rey St. Bernard Friday at 7 p.m. Serra already defeated the Vikings 46-41 on Jan. 12 at St. Bernard.