Keppel Wins Again Without Its Coach

For the second game in a row, Alhambra Keppel played without its head coach and took out a rival, this time defeating Bell Gardens, 84-58, Tuesday in an Almont League girls’ basketball game.

Coach Richard Marquis has been on leave since Friday, “pending an investigation,” said Lois Nash, assistant superintendent of human resources for the Alhambra School District.

“When we put somebody on leave, it’s for a reason,” said Nash, who would not comment on the nature of the investigation. “In the interest of the coach and the parents, we want to be as thorough as possible and resolve the matter as soon as we can.”

Tan Ha is interim coach.

Mary Toledo scored 18 points, and Krista Arase scored 14 for the Aztecs (16-2, 3-0), ranked No. 13 in the Southland by The Times.

Yazmin Paez scored 21 for Bell Gardens (12-7, 2-1).

Martin Henderson

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In boys’ basketball:

Redondo 65, Inglewood 41--Redondo led by as many as 27 points in the first half and cruised to a Bay League victory.

The host Sea Hawks (14-5, 6-0) held Inglewood, ranked No. 9, to three points in the first quarter and built a 32-5 second-quarter lead.

Inglewood, scoreless for more than eight minutes during one span of the first half, trailed, 34-15, at halftime.

Wendell White led Redondo, the defending Bay League and Southern Section Division II-A champion, with 23 points. Ray Reed led Inglewood (13-4, 3-2) with 10 points.

Mike Haubrich

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In girls’ water polo:

Santa Margarita 8, El Toro 4--Erika Figge and Kristina Kunkel scored three goals each to lead second-ranked Santa Margarita over No. 5 El Toro in a nonleague game at El Toro.

Lauren Heineck had three goals for El Toro, which lost for the sixth time in its last eight games. Her final goal came with 3:43 remaining in the third quarter and cut Santa Margarita’s lead to 4-3.

Dan Arritt