Coming off two impressive wins, Redondo’s boys basketball team is carrying the momentum into Bay League competition this week as the Sea Hawks look to defend their league title.
Redondo (13-3) is ranked No. 4 in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1AA poll and is on the elite Open Division watch list after defeating Gahr (No.1, Div. 3AA) 65-45 on Saturday in a game that was part of the Westchester Shootout.
Ryse Williams had 15 points and six rebounds, Cameron Williams added 10 points and 15 rebounds and Morgan Means recorded 10 points and seven rebounds for the Sea Hawks.
Redondo began the year on a high note pulling away from Division 1AA adversary Santa Margarita (No. 6) on Jan. 2 for a 72-65 victory in the third Jordan Brand Take Flight Challenge held at Sea Hawk Pavilion.
Leland Green led the charge for Redondo scoring 20 points and grabbing nine rebounds.
Redondo began Bay League action Tuesday defeating host Inglewood, the No.2 ranked team in Division 3A, in a close 58-53 contest.
Lelend Green hit a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left to break a tie and Morgan Means scored a game-high 18 points.. Ryse Williams had 15 points and Green finished with 12 points and six rebounds.
The Sea Hawks will host Morningside on Friday and Peninsula (No. 14, Div. 1A) on Tuesday. Boys Bay League basketball games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. tip offs.
All three losses suffered by Coach Reggie Morris’ Redondo squad have come at the hands of quality opponents and its play has not gone unnoticed. In the MaxPreps poll, Redondo is ranked No. 3 in the state and No. 7 in the nation.
In mid-December, Redondo played in the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas, Nev. where the Sea Hawks lost to Bishop Gorman (the No. 2 ranked team in Nevada) 63-58 then fell to Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Tex.) 80-70.
Competing in the MaxPreps Holiday Classic in Bentonville, Ariz. during winter break, Redondo opened the tournament with a 77-59 win over Folsom (ranked No. 7 in California).
The Sea Hawks proceeded to beat host Bentonville 83-57 and avenged their earlier loss defeating Bishop Gorman 77-69.
Facing the top-ranked team in the nation, Redondo had no answer for Chino Hills’ high-octane offense, losing to the Huskies 96-80.
Morris expects the stiff competition to pay dividends down the road as Redondo looks for another CIF championship – either in Division 1AA or the Open Division.
Mira Costa rolls on
Every season has some ups and downs and Jeff Amaral’s Mira Costa squad is no exception. The Mustangs (11-6) opened Bay League competition Tuesday with a 57-48 win at Palos Verdes.
Ryan White led the Mustangs with 13 points and six rebounds and Jonas Pitman added 12 points in the win,
Mira Costa will host Peninsula on Friday and Inglewood next Tuesday.
Mira Costa played a tough schedule in December suffering a heartbreaking 66-60 overtime loss to Harvard-Westlake (No. 5, Div. 4AA) and a 55-42 defeat to a strong Santa Monica team in the El Segundo Tournament.
After a 49-46 non-league loss at Chaminade (No. 7, Div. 3A), The Mustangs regrouped to finish second at the Under Armour Holiday Classic at Torrey Pines, falling to Oakland Tech (ranked No. 19 in the state) in the championship game. Bobby Barkley was named to the All-Tournament team.
“We have a nice mix of underclassmen stepping up in sophomore Bobby Barkley and juniors Brandon Chan, Ryan White and Jonas Pittman,” Amaral said. “Two senior captains are really coming to the forefront too in Johnny Mims and Tyler Morgan. Johnny is playing the point guard spot very solidly and taking care of the ball in addition to giving us an offensive spark. Tyler is stabilizing our defense with blocked shots and an inside presence.”
Mira Costa is anxiously awaiting the return of its top player, Quenton Jackson, who has been out with a fractured wrist but is expected back by the end of the month.
Amaral hopes momentum from a 75-69 win against University (Irvine) and a strong performance in a 77-72 road loss at Villa Park (No. 6, Div. 1A) will carry over into league competition. Barkley and Mims were the Mustang’s leading players in both games.
In the Villa Park contest, Barkley had a team-high 17 points while Mims recorded 15 points. Against University, Barkley scored 16 points and Chan and Mims each recorded 13 points. Morgan had a combined 17 rebounds in the two games.
