Redondo boys basketball team fall flat against Bay rival Palos Verdes

By Paul Teetor

For one night at least, it was better to be a Sea King than a Sea Hawk.

The Redondo boys basketball team came out flat against arch-rival Palos Verdes Tuesday night, then woke up and staged a frantic second-half comeback only to lose an emotional game by a score of 65-53 amidst a late flurry of technical fouls, missed foul shots and bruised feelings.

In the final moments with a 12-point lead, the Sea Kings players held the ball and didn’t shoot, not needing any more points. But Redondo’s Jayden Winfrey stole the ball, raced down-court and missed a flying dunk that bounced off the rim as the final buzzer sounded.

It was a moment of frustration that perfectly captured the game that reset the Bay League standings, handing Redondo its first league loss and pulling PV into a second place tie as both teams now sport a 2-1 league record. PV’s overall record is now 18-2, while Redondo fell to 12-8. Peninsula is in first place with a 3-0 record, while Mira Costa is also tied for second after a gritty 55-50 victory over visiting Leuzinger Tuesday night.

PV held a commanding 39-24 lead at halftime, led by the power drives of senior forwards Jack Engstrom and Jack Jamele. Of course, Redondo’s horrendous foul shooting and continual unforced turnovers also contributed to the 15-point deficit.

“You have to tip your hat to PV,” Sea Hawk coach Ali Parvaz said. “They came in here prepared to play a good, tough Bay League game and we weren’t ready for them. We missed foul shots, we missed defensive rotations, and just generally played bad basketball.”

The Sea Hawks came out for the second half with a newly aggressive attitude, employing a full-court press to force some turnovers that gave them a chance to catch up. Midway through the fourth quarter the Hawks ripped off an 8-0 run that was capped off by a three-pointer from Xan Wesley.

But PV called a time-out with four minutes left and soon pumped the lead back up to 11 and held on from there. Engstrom led the Sea Kings with 21 points while Wesley led the Sea Hawks with 16.

PV coach Brian Edelman, who led his team to an 0-10 Bay League record last year, is now in his fourth year as coach and hoping to establish a new image for Sea King basketball.

“Our goal this year is to win the Bay League, and then win CIF,” he said. “We’ve had a good season so far. Now we just have to keep it going.” ER

Contact: teetor.paul@gmail.com. Follow: @paulteetor

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