Shorthanded Lady Cavs bounce back with tournament opening win
By Joe Snyder
Sports Editor
After blowing a 17-point lead in a non-league loss to Etiwanda in a non-league game between two of Southern California’s top girls’ basketball powers on Dec. 23 at Serra, the Lady Cavaliers bounced back to roll over Rancho Cucamonga 69-49 in the first round of the Ayala Tournament last Saturday in Chino Hills.
Shorthanded Lady Cavs bounce back with tournament opening win
By Joe Snyder
Sports Editor
After blowing a 17-point lead in a non-league loss to Etiwanda in a non-league game between two of Southern California’s top girls’ basketball powers on Dec. 23 at Serra, the Lady Cavaliers bounced back to roll over Rancho Cucamonga 69-49 in the first round of the Ayala Tournament last Saturday in Chino Hills.
Against Rancho Cucamonga, Serra played without standout \Nautica Morrow and it started slow trailing much of the first quarter.
From the second period on, though, the Cavaliers dominated the rest of the contest. They led by 11 points at halftime and by as many as 30 points before coasting to an easy victory.
Morrow was out due to the flu, but another player returned after an injury in Brooke Bayman who chipped in 12 points/
Briana Johnson led Serra (7-3) with 17 points and freshman Rachel Buru added 12 points and nine rebounds.
The Cavaliers went on to face host Ayala in the championship quarterfinals on Monday. The usually highly competitive classic finished Wednesday.
Against Etiwanda, last season’s CIF-Southern Section and Southern California Open Division finalists who lost each game to eventual California state Open Division champion Long Beach Poly, things started off well for Serra as it surged out to a 32-15 lead late in the second quarter.
The Eagles finished the first half scoring the final eight points. Serra still led by five points (45-40) after three quarters but got cold in the final period leading Etiwanda to outscore the Cavaliers 20-7 to pull off a 60-52 win.
“The kids stopped moving the ball in the second half,” Serra head coach McKenzie Hadley said. “We got selfish on offense. There was no rebounding.”
The Cavaliers also missed their final eight free throws that proved very costly.
Johnson led Serra with a game-high 21 points. Camille Michael contributed nine points and Brijaye Brackett and Bayman each had eight.
Serra, which won the state Division IV championship in the 2012-13 season, moved up to IAA and is ranked ninth, while the Eagles are seventh in the first poll. The Cavaliers will be expected to be on the Southern Section Open Division watch list.
After its final preseason tournament, Serra’s next game will be another stiff non-league contest at home against Oaks Christian of Westlake Village on Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. The Cavaliers begin the highly competitive Del Rey League at home against La Puente Bishop Amat on Jan. 15 at the same time.
Gardena Boys’ Basketball
Gardena streaks to San Pedro Classic semis
By Joe Snyder
Sports Editor
Gardena High’s boys’ basketball team continued to show progress by winning the first two games of the San Pedro Pirate Classic over Garden Grove Pacifica and South Tahoe last Friday and Saturday, in order.
The Panthers began the tournament with a 49-31 victory over the Mariners on Friday, then downed South Tahoe 56-39 Saturday.
The wins extended Gardena’s winning streak to five games and a spot in the championship semifinals against Marine League rival Narbonne last Monday. If the Panthers won, they would play either host San Pedro or Rancho Dominguez Prep for the title last Tuesday. If Gardena lost, they faced one of those teams for third place.
The Panthers started slow trailing after the first quarter in each of those contests.
Gardena was down by one point (10-9) after the first period before outscoring South Tahoe 17-7 in the second quarter to lead for good.
In the first round, Pacifica had the Panthers 15-10 after the first period, then Gardena’s defense held the Mariners to only 16 points in the final three quarters to win handily.
Clarence Bookman led Gardena with 16 points against Pacifica.
Serra Boys’ Basketball
Serra begins Maxpreps with two wins
By Joe Snyder
Sports Editor
Serra’s boys’ basketball team won the first two games of the Gold Division of the Maxpreps Holiday Classic in the Palm Springs area.
Last Friday, the Cavaliers, who are 8-4, crushed John Muir High from Pasadena 84-37. On Saturday, Serra topped Catalina Foothills from Tucson, Ariz. 57-51.
Against Catalina Foothills, the Cavaliers trailed by three points (39-36) after three periods before outscoring Catalina 21-12 in the fourth quarter.
Jason Richardson led Serra with 16 points and Caleb Wilson tallied 13 points and 13 rebounds.
The wins gave the Cavaliers an interesting championship semifinal spot against one of the top teams in Germany, Urspring from Ulm, at Rancho Mirage High last Monday.
The finals were on Tuesday.
Earlier last week, Serra finished fourth in the San Luis Obispo Mission Prep Tournament after losses to Riverside J.W. North and Del Rey League rival Bishop Montgomery from Torrance.
After losing the championship semifinals to North 50-49 on Dec. 22, the Cavaliers were routed by the Knights 56-35 a day later.
Serra’s next game will be its Cavalier Classic Contest at home against last season’s California State Division III champion Chaminade from West Hills on Jan. 10 at 5 p.m.
All-South Bay Football
Serra’s Houston named top defensive player in South Bay
By Joe Snyder
Sports Editor
Serra High linebacker John Houston was recently named as the South Bay Defensive Player of the Year by the Daily Breeze.
The senior, who will be playing in the Under Armour Bowl in St. Petersberg, Fla. on Friday, finished this past season with 147 tackles, three interceptions and three caused fumbles that helped the Cavaliers finish in a three-way tie with Encino Crespi and La Puente Bishop Amat in the Mission League. Serra lost in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section PAC Five playoffs to eventual champion Centennial 68-64 on Nov. 14 in Corona.
Houston’s biggest games included having 18 tackles in the Cavaliers’ 41-28 win over West Hills Chaminade on Oct. 31 at Serra and 16 in Serra’s 21-20 victory over Crespi on Oct. 3 in Encino.
Houston is one of the top Major Division I college prospects in the United States. Among top colleges looking at him include University of Southern California, Oregon and Oklahoma.
He was also the Mission League’s co-Most Valuable Player.
On first team offense for Serra, which finished this season at 8-3 overall and 5-1 in league was dominating senior option quarterback Khalil Tate. Tate passed for 1,395 yards and 17 touchdowns and ran for 1,287 yards and 17 TD’s.
His outstanding accomplishments also earned him the Mission’s co-Offensive Player of the Year.
Despite the high scoring loss to Corona Centennial, which surprised observers by stunning nationally ranked Bellflower St. John Bosco 48-41 for the PAC Five crown before falling to Concord De La Salle 41-21 in the California State Open Bowl Championship on Dec. 20 at the StubHub Center in Carson, Tate probably had his best game being responsible for eight of Serra’s nine touchdowns. He had 600 total offensive yards.
The Huskies, meanwhile, ended up ranked 12th in the nation by USA Today.
Tate was a candidate for South Bay Player of Year but that went to Carson’s Jabari Minix and Torrance running back Tyree Harris was Offensive Player of the Year.
Rasheem Green, who is expected to play in the United States Army All-American Classic at the Alamo Dome in San Antonio, TX on Saturday, was first team on defense as a lineman.
Green had 23 tackles for losses, including eight quarterback sacks. He was one of three top Defensive Players in the Mission League.
Green was injured in Serra’s league finale against Loyola on Nov. 7 and was unable to play in the Cavaliers’ first round contest against Centennial.
Also making first team defense was junior lineman Oluwold Betiku. Betiku had 24 tackles for losses, including 11.5 sacks as he was named the league’s co-Lineman of the Year.
On second team offense for the Cavaliers were wide receiver Deontay Burnett and Josh Davis, both seniors.
Junior linebacker Blake Walls made second team defense.
Carson’s all-around athlete Minix played multiple positions, finishing with 2,179 total yards and 31 touchdowns on offense. He had 1,014 yards and 11 touchdowns in receptions as a receiver. As a quarterback, Minix completed seven of 16 passes and one TD with no interceptions.
Minix is also expected to be a Major Division I college prospect.
Harris rushed for 1,806 yards on 243 carries to key Torrance to a third place finish and the CIF-Southern Section Western Division playoffs, where it lost in the first round to host Oxnard 28-23 on Nov. 14.
Coach of the Year was Narbonne head mentor Manuel Douglas who keyed the Gauchos to the CIF-Los Angeles City Section Division I championship with a 33-20 win over Marine League rival Carson on Dec. 6 at L.A. Memorial Coliseum.
Meanwhile, Serra head coach Scott Altenberg will be the head mentor for the West team in the Army Classic, which starts at 10 a.m. (Pacific Standard Time) Saturday in San Antonio.
Altenberg already guided the Cavaliers to three Southern Section titles and two state championships in 2009 (Division III over Marin Catholic) and 2012 (Division II against Oakdale).
