Torrance High Boys Are Latest Victim of Surprising Inglewood

With only two lettermen returning from a team that finished 17-9 last season, it was expected to be a rebuilding season for the Inglewood High boys’ basketball team.

But rather than rebuild, it appears the Sentinels simply reloaded.

Inglewood improved to 10-6 after a 73-64 victory over Torrance Friday at Torrance High.

What makes the this season’s record even more impressive is that it has been accomplished with only one senior in the starting lineup, forward Jimmy Britt.

Against Torrance, junior guard Chris White scored 28 points and junior center Givon Hester added 27.

White put on a spectacular display of outside shooting with eight three-point baskets.

“He’s shooting around 45% from the three-point line,” Coach Art Bias said. “When we give him enough room, he’s pretty good. He knows how to shoot.”

Hester scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, including six-of-seven shooting from the free-throw line.

Bias also thinks his other two starters, junior point guard Richard Halloway and sophomore guard Sam Turks, have promising careers.

“I’m real happy with the way our point guard is coming along and our other guard (Turks) is playing well for a sophomore,” Bias said.

But Bias is not completely satisfied.

“They’re looking pretty good right now but I think we’re going to improve even more,” he said. “We’ve already beaten some pretty good teams. We’ve beaten San Bernardino and Cajon and they’re pretty good teams. I think it’s just a matter of everyone believing in each other.”

Bias doesn’t know if his team has improved enough to challenge Peninsula for the Bay League title, but it appears that the Sentinels will be a factor.

Torrance Coach Bob Little was frustrated after the loss to Morningside.

“We play well for a long time but somehow we always seem to self-destruct,” he said.

The Tartars (4-9) were expecting to have a better record after finishing 18-8 and reaching the Southern Section Division II-AA quarterfinals last season.

“It’s kind of a shame,” Little said. “We had an undefeated summer and on paper we looked very good at the start of the season.”

That was before starting point guard Michael Dean, an All-Pioneer League selection and the team’s leader, pulled a hamstring and missed the first 11 games.

Dean returned against Morningside on Jan. 3, only to dislocated a shoulder. Little is uncertain if Dean will be able to play when the Torrance opens league play Jan. 17 against Centennial.

“I think it’s the leadership on the floor that needs to come through and that’s something that Michael gives us,” Little said. “Potentially, we can play with anybody. But we have to find a way to learn how to win.”

The disappointing start has Little re-evaluating the Tartars’ prospects in league play.

“South and Centennial are both playing very well,” Little said. “Before the season, I would have picked us to win the league, but right now I’d probably pick us third.”

Little is eager for Dean to return. The Tartars already have the makings of a good inside game with center Joe Otos and forward Adrian Dupin De St. Cyr and capable shooters in guard Darryl Burgess and forward John Cha.

“Nothing has gone right for us so far,” Little said. “But it’s still early, so time is in our favor.”

The biggest surprise among South Bay boys’ basketball teams has been South Torrance.

South improved to 13-3 after a 63-51 nonleague victory over Beverly Hills on Friday.

The success of the Spartans, who are ranked No. 5 in the Southern Section Division III and No. 9 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports News, has surprised Coach Lamont Henry.

“We knew we’d be over .500 but we’re surprised to be doing this well and be ranked as high as we are,” he said. “At the start of the season, we just played for each win and went from there. But finally we had to sit down and give ourselves some credit.”

South is not used to having a winning basketball team.

“This is a new experience for us because South hasn’t had a winning season since 1978,” Henry said. “So, I’m just trying to keep them focused. We just want them to think about our next game so we can reach our goal of winning the (Pioneer) league title.”

South’s lack of height--other than 6-foot-7 center Kyle McIntosh, no other starter is taller than 6-2--has not been a problem.

“That was our fear,” Henry said. “We were all worried about playing big teams and we did have trouble with teams like that over the summer. But we’ve worked on that since then.”

The Spartans have used a sagging defense that has proven effective against taller teams such as Peninsula and Estancia. South battled Peninsula tough before losing, 56-52, Dec. 23 and upset Estancia, 75-62, last week. Estancia is the top-ranked team in the Southern Section Division III.

Along with McIntosh, South has been led by point guard Jimmy Williamson and guard Jason Anthony. Williamson averages a team-leading nine assists and Anthony, the team’s top scorer, averages 17 points. He scored 24 in Friday’s victory over Beverly Hills.

League play starts for most teams this week and there is no question that Peninsula (14-0) is the top girls’ team in the South Bay.

But what league is the most balanced?

It is undoubtedly the five-team Pioneer League, which includes the four Torrance schools. South enters the week at 11-3, West is 11-4, North 10-4 and Torrance 9-3.

South is ranked No. 5 in this week’s Southern Section Division III poll and Torrance and West are listed among teams receiving votes in the Division II poll.

And Torrance Coach Ric Momohara, whose team defeated Inglewood, 47-40, in a nonleague game Friday, says he wouldn’t count out Centennial of Compton, which finished second in the league last year.

“They could be the sleeper,” he said. “They’ve improved a lot from last year to this year.”

Momohara said his thoughts about the league race have changed.

“I think it’s really up for grabs,” he said. “At first, I thought South was the favorite and then when we beat them I thought it was us. But then when I saw West play--and they really impressed me--I thought maybe they’re the best team. You really can’t discount anyone.”

But Momohara said having a wide-open league race is not bad.

“The only good thing is if you lose a game you’re not out of it because any team can knock off anyone else,” he said.

North Coach Richard Rosato said he was hard-pressed to pick a favorite.

“I know one thing,” he said. “You better play well every day. It’s going to depend on who plays the best during league season because I think we all have the ability to beat each other.”

Defending Southern Section Division III-A champion St. Bernard enhanced its roll as Mission League favorite when it beat Bishop Montgomery, 54-47, on Thursday.

St. Bernard improved to 12-2 and Bishop Montgomery dropped to 14-2. Both girls’ teams were near the top of the Southern Section rankings in their respective divisions: St. Bernard was No. 2 in Division III and Bishop Montgomery No. 3 in Division II.

“I think that we have some of the best teams in the Southern Section in our league,” St. Bernard Coach Lori Pawlinski said. “So this gives us a lot of confidence that we can compete in this league. It’s nice to get off to a good start and to beat a team that I think is one of the best in the league is real good.”

Despite the victory, Pawlinski said the Vikings cannot relax. They must play Mission League rival Alemany, which is ranked No. 6 in Division II, on Thursday in Mission Hills.

“We’ll see the best teams in this league early,” she said. “I still really think this league is really balanced. The big three are really even. It’s just a case of how we match up each time we play them.”

Pawlinski credited the defensive play of All-Southern Section guard Joi Turner, who held Bishop Montgomery’s top scorer--guard Mirlen Martinez--to only six points.

“They’re a great shooting team and we just shut down their best player,” Pawlinski said.

The Vikings have been led on offense by sophomore forward Olympia Scott, who averages 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Turner, who averages 13.