Supporters of the Mira Costa basketball program were given a jolt in Fisher Gym Friday evening beginning with a rare league loss by the Mustang’s girls team.
Redondo snapped Mira Costa’s 21-game league winning streak with a 48-31 road win led by Riki Murakami’s 18 points that included three 3-pointers.

“It’s only the second league game of the season, but this win was big for us,” Murakami said. “Costa was on a 21-game Bay League winning streak. We’ve been punked around by Costa the last few years so it was important for us to come out and show that we’re not going to back down.”
Back down they didn’t. The Sea Hawks used a pressing defense and overall team effort to secure the win. Michelle Lowery recorded 11 points and seven rebounds, Allie Goldberg grabbed nine rebounds and Shayna Stuart added six points, five rebounds, four assists, two blocked shots and two steals to pace Redondo, the 14th ranked team in the CIF Southern Section Division 1AA poll.
Mira Costa standout guard Kylie Nakamine was held to 13 points, the only Mustang in double figures. Mira Costa head coach Craig Takahashi shrugged off the loss.
“It’s only one game,” Takahashi said. “No one is going to undefeated in this league. This is the strongest the Bay League has been in a long time.”
While the girls made their way off the court and the overflow crowd scrambled to find seats, word began to spread throughout the gym that Mira Costa’s boys team would be playing without the services of its head coach.

Former Mira Costa player and current assistant coach Jeff Amaral took over the reigns after Henry Myar unexpectedly resigned earlier in the day. Myar was in his 20th season with Mira Costa basketball and his seventh as head coach.
According to Mira Costa principal Ben Dale, the coaching situation would be reassessed after school resumed on Tuesday.
Despite the distraction, Mira Costa jumped out to a 10-4 lead before Redondo took a 38-24 lead into halftime and never looked back. Jacquise Bates led Redondo with 22 points and Brandon Boyd and Mwelu Mataya each scored 12 points for the Sea Hawks.
Elliott Ozer recorded a team-high 22 points for Mira Costa, who fell into a four way tie for second place with Leuzinger, Redondo and Palos Verdes.
When Mira Costa hosted Leuzinger Tuesday evening, Myar had returned to his head coaching duties calling it a “miscommunication” with administration and said he would remain as head coach of the Mustangs for the remainder of the season.
Unfortunately for Mira Costa (8-11, 1-2), Myar’s return didn’t change the fortune of the team. The Mustangs fell to the Olympians 59-52 despite Ozer’s 21 points. Thomas Johnson added 14 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks and Cooper Pugnale scored eight points for Mira Costa.
Mira Costa will play critical road games Friday at Peninsula (18-1, 3-0) and Palos Verdes (13-6, 1-2) next Tuesday. If the Mustangs are to remain in the hunt for a league title, they will need wins over the only two ranked teams from the Bay League. Peninsula is ranked No. 1 in Division 2A and Palos Verdes is No. 7 in Division 4AA. Both games are slated for 7:30 p.m. tip offs.

Other South Bay boys teams ranked in the CIF Southern Section pools are Hawthorne (15th, Div. 2A), Bishop Montgomery (9th) and North Torrance (16th) in Division 3AA and El Segundo (14th, Div. 4AA).
Redondo’s momentum from its victory over Mira Costa and a 50-48 non-league road win over Sonora on Saturday was short lived as the Sea Hawks dropped a 45-43 nail-biter to visiting West (9-9, 1-2) on Tuesday.
The loss was a surprising set back for coach Tom Maier’s Redondo squad whose record dropped to 9-9 overall and 1-2 in league. The Sea Hawks have a tough week ahead of them as they host Palos Verdes Friday before completing the first round of Bay League action with a contest at Leuzinger (13-6, 2-1) next Tuesday. Both games are scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.
Lady Sea Hawks soaring
Redondo (12-8, 3-0) defeated West (12-8, 0-3) Tuesday to set up a Friday showdown with Palos Verdes in a game that will determine for sole possession of first place in the Bay League. Game time is 6 p.m. at Redondo.
Annie Park scored a game-high 20 points, Ashiana Antar added 13 points and six rebounds and Goldberg scored 12 points in the Sea Hawk’s win over West.
Palos Verdes (10-8, 3-0) is coming off a 74-61 win over rival Peninsula. The Sea Kings are ranked No. 6 in Division 3A.
Redondo wraps up the first round of league competition with a 6 p.m. game at Leuzinger (0-3 in league) next Tuesday.

After suffering a 70-42 rout by Narbonne in the highlighted game of the Martin Luther King Extravaganza on Saturday, Mira Costa’s girls team (11-8, 2-1) rebounded to drub Leuzinger 72-21 in a Bay League contest Tuesday.
Camille Mills recorded 13 points and seven steals and Marie Lauzon scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds to pace Mira Costa. Nakamine added 10 points and six steals, Shaylyn Austin tallied 10 points, Ashley Reese had nine points and Joelle Herron added eight in the onslaught.
Mira Costa concludes the first round of league play with games at Peninsula Friday and at Palos Verdes next Tuesday. Both games are scheduled to start at 6 p.m.
Peninsula is ranked No. 9 in Division 3AA, a division loaded with South Bay teams including Serra (No. 2), North Torrance (No. 7), West (No. 10), Torrance (No. 12) and South Torrance (No. 16).
In Division 4AA, Bishop Montgomery holds the second slot and El Segundo is ranked No. 14 in Division 4A. Chadwick is No. 2 in Division 5A. ER