Costa, Redondo battle for playoff spots
Thomas Johnson and the Mira Costa Mustangs look for revenge when they host rival Redondo Friday at 7:30 p.m. Photo
When Mira Costa and Redondo square off this week in the second of two Bay League meetings, the contests in nearly every sport will have playoff implications, adding fuel to the always heated rivalry.
On the hardwood, the Mustangs and Sea Hawks are in a battle for second place in boys basketball, each team doing its best to stay close to Bay leader Leuzinger. Mira Costa will seek to avenge an earlier 70-56 loss to Redondo when it hosts its rival tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. following the girls game at 6 p.m.
The Mustangs hosted West Tuesday after falling to Leuzinger 83-69 last Friday to open the second half of league play. Thomas Johnson led Mira Costa with 24 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots and Eric Mochalski added 13 points in the loss.
Mira Costa is ranked No. 7 in the CIF Southern Section Division poll while Redondo is No. 9 in Division 2AA. Leuzinger remains at No. 3 in Division 1A.
Redondo hosted Peninsula (No. 6 in Division 2A) Tuesday after Dylan Irwin moved the Sea Hawks one game ahead of Mira Costa with a blocked shot in the waning seconds of Redondo’s 49-47 victory over Palos Verdes last Friday. Brandon Boyd scored 14 points and Jamar Cannon tallied 12 points and gathered 10 rebounds for Redondo.
The Sea Hawks host Bishop Montgomery Saturday at 7 p.m. in a non-league contest. The Knights are ranked No. 11 in Division 3AA.
Redondo returns to league action Tuesday with another chance to knock off Leuzinger. A road win over the highly-ranked league favorite may warrant a higher seeding in the playoffs.
Mira Costa travels to Peninsula Tuesday for a 7:30 p.m. game.
Other local teams ranked in the top ten are No. 1 Serra (Gardena) in Division 3A, North (10th, Div. 3AA), El Segundo (6th, Div. 4AA) and Lawndale (8th, Div. 4AA).
Girls Basketball
Mira Costa emerged from the first half of Bay League action undefeated and continued its winning ways with a 70-33 onslaught over Leuzinger. Jordyn Priestley led the charge with 14 points. Taby Anderson added 12 points, Joelle Herron scored 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds and Ashley Reece contributed 10 points and nine rebounds for the Mustangs who hosted West Tuesday.
Mira Costa is ranked No. 5 in Division 1A and hosts Redondo tomorrow at 6 p.m. The Mustangs defeated the Sea Hawks 40-29 in the first league meeting between the rivals.
Riki Murakami and the scrappy Sea Hawks travel to Mira Costa Friday for a 6 p.m. contest. Murakami's late 3-pointer against Palos Verdes helped move Redondo into second place. Photo
Redondo moved into a second-place tie with Palos Verdes (No. 3 in Division 3A) after defeating the Sea Kings 37-36 Friday. Riki Murakami hit her third 3-pointer of the game with 15 seconds remaining in regulation to give the Sea Hawks the victory. Rachel Wilton had a team-high 11 points for Redondo.
The Sea Hawks play at Leuzinger Tuesday while Mira Costa travels to Peninisula.
Other local teams earning top ten rankings include South (6th, Div. 2A), North (5th, Div. 3AA), Bishop Montgomery (2nd, Div. 4AA) and Chadwick (4th, Div. 5A).
Boys Soccer
Mira Costa hosted West Tuesday in a key Bay League match. West, who is ranked No. 4 in Division 1, won the first of the two meetings 2-1, handing the Mustangs its only league loss entering the contest. Mira Costa holds the No. 6 spot in the Division 1 poll.
Dylan Cleland scored in the 58th minute to give Mira Costa a 1-0 victory at Leuzinger, keeping the Mustangs in the race for at least a share of the league title.
Mira Costa hosts Redondo tomorrow at 3 p.m. The Sea Hawks hosted Peninsula Tuesday after winning its second league game last Friday with a 2-1 victory over Palos Verdes. After Gonzalo Bazan scored a first-half goal, Michael Lunny scored in the 72nd minute to give Redondo the much needed win.
League action continues Tuesday with Mira Costa traveling to Peninsula and Redondo going to Leuzinger for 3 p.m. matches.
Girls Soccer
Mira Costa’s chances for a sixth-straight Bay League championship are growing slim as Palos Verdes keeps winning. The Sea Kings (No. 10 in Division 1) defeated the Mustangs 1-0 in overtime last week before Mira Costa played at West Tuesday.
The Mustangs travel to Redondo tomorrow for a 3 p.m. match. In the first round of league play, Redondo beat Mira Costa for the first time in six seasons. The Sea Hawks scored a moral victory last Friday in a 2-1 loss at Palos Verdes. When Redondo jumped out to a 1-0 lead, it marked the first time this season that Palos Verdes had trailed in a game.
After tomorrow’s rivalry game, Mira Costa hosts Peninsula and Redondo hosts Leuzinger. Both matches are scheduled for 3 p.m.
Other girls soccer teams ranked in the CIF top ten are Chadwick (10th, Div. 3), South (2nd, Div. 5) and El Segundo (4th, Div. 5).
Girls Water Polo
Mira Costa and Redondo faced each other yesterday in a rematch of last Friday’s contest when Mira Costa defeated its rival 12-5.
Katelyn DeCoste and Marissa Purcell each scored three goals while Jaycee Baldus led Redondo with two goals.
Mira Costa remained one game behind Palos Verdes beating Peninsula 11-4 Monday behind Purcell’s four goals. Laura Milstead scored twice for the Mustangs.
Bay League frontrunner Palos Verdes is ranked No. 2 in Division 2. El Segundo is 8th in Division 5 and Chadwick is 2nd in the Division 6 poll. ER