Redondo takes charge in Bay League boys basketball race, Costa tied for second
By Paul Teetor
All season long senior guard Mike Solimando’s role on the Redondo boys basketball team has been clear: be the first player off the bench, launch a couple of three-pointers to give the Sea Hawk’s offense a jolt, and head back to the bench to await his next turn on the court.
But Friday night his role changed: lead the team in scoring in a game where Redondo fell behind Leuzinger by 9 points mid-way through the third quarter.
And he came through with 17 points as he led the Hawks to a 67-54 win that was much more competitive than the final score indicated. Leuzinger was still leading as the game headed into the fourth quarter.
That was when Solimando drilled his fourth trifecta of the night, giving Redondo a 46-44 lead that just grew from there. It started an 11-0 run marked by a Chimezie Maduno dunk and capped off with yet another Solimando trey that gave the Hawks a 10-point lead at 54-44 and their first breathing room of the night.
“Mike works hard at perfecting his shot,” Redondo Head Coach Ali Parvez said after the game. “And tonight his teammates found him in the right spots where he could catch and shoot. He gave us exactly what we needed.”
The usual factors contributed to Redondo’s stirring comeback: the floor leadership of Jayden Winfrey, the aggressive board work of power forward Maduno and 6-foot-6 center Chase Bowsher, the all-court game of 6-foot-5 bruiser Xan Wesley and the glue-guy work of senior forward Alex Kowal.
Mira Costa’s Parker Lynch helped the Mustangs upset Peninsula scoring eight points to keep his team in a tie for second place. Photo
But on this night Coach Parvez singled out another, little known and little-used player: Dominic Walker, who missed the first month of the season and is only now working his way into the rotation as Redondo enters the stretch run before the playoffs start next month.
“I thought the game turned when Dominic came in,” Parvez said. “He didn’t score much, but he did all the little things we needed. If you look at the film, you’ll see he was the one that passed the ball to Chimezie for that dunk.”
The comeback win vaulted Redondo to the top of the Bay League standings at 5-1 (17-7 overall) as it seeks its sixth straight league title.
The Hawks are now alone at the top thanks to another upset win by the scrappy Mira Costa team of undersized overachievers, which pulled off a 42-40 shocker over Peninsula Friday night. The win at Manhattan Beach Middle School dropped Peninsula to a 4-2 record in the league, tying it with Costa and Palos Verdes for second place behind Redondo.
The Mustangs, who have been forced to play their home games away from home while they await construction of a new $38 million athletic complex that could take another two years, are now 5-0 at MBMS.
Costa upset Palos Verdes 45-42 last month, a shocking win that PV coach Brian Edelman attributed, in part, to the cozy confines of the MBMS gym, with seating on only one side of the gym and a primitive time-clock system.
But Mustang Head Coach Neal Perlmutter, in his first season running the program, rejected the contention that the MBMS gym gives Costa any kind of advantage over teams unfamiliar with its size and configuration.
“The baskets are 10 feet, like anywhere else,” he says. “I’m happy to let anyone measure them if there’s any question.”
Instead, he attributed the string of low-scoring upsets to his team’s fierce work ethic and dedication to defense first.
“This is the best defensive team I’ve ever coached,” he said. “If you try to drive to the hoop on us, we’re going to take charges. We practice it every day.”
Indeed, Mustang forward Parker Lynch took three charges against Peninsula – which matches his game average – but this time he also played a key offensive role, offering support to leading scorer Lucas Hobbs, who finished with 14 points.
“Parker had eight points, including two game-clinching foul shots,” Perlmutter said.
And the new coach pronounced himself pleased as he nears the end of his first season.
“The players have bought into our program,” he said. “The attitudes and work ethic have changed. If we can get to six or seven wins in the Bay League that will be a good accomplishment for the first year. The change we all want is going to take a couple of years.”
Costa plays at PV Tuesday night and at Compton Centennial Friday night. Redondo travels to Centennial Tuesday night and to PV Friday night. ER
Contact: teetor.paul@gmail.com. Follow: @paulteetor