Atonye’s the star, but Ichiyama has Redondo’s number in the post-game

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Atonye Nyingifa may be the star of Redondo, the No. 11 girls’ basketball team in the Southland, but I think I know who wears the pants on the team.

Joylyn Ichiyama.

After Redondo’s 64-60, double-overtime loss to No. 9 Narbonne (13-3), Sea Hawk coaches were outside the locker room door when Ichiyama, a 5-foot-1 senior, pronounced several times, ‘I’m going to talk to my team.’ The inference: Stay out of my way.

Said Coach Marcelo Enriquez: ‘She might be reading them the riot act.’

-- Image from www.themeeklife.blogspot.com

Redondo (11-1), which trailed by as many as eight early in the second half, led by as much as 34-25 midway through the third quarter.

‘It’s a tough loss to take,’ Enriquez said. ‘We had victory in our hands twice.’

They led 48-42 with 2:30 left in regulation, and 56-51 with 22 seconds left in the first overtime. Of the 11 points Narbonne needed to tie the score in those two periods, senior Reiko Thomas scored nine, including a drive to the bucket with 14 seconds left in the first overtime followed by steal and three-pointer from the corner with 8.3 seconds left.

‘That was huge,’ Enriquez said. ‘A case where you have a senior clutching up.’

-- Martin Henderson