By Loren Kopff
@LorenKopff on Twitter
The Valley Christian High boys basketball team opened up pool play action of its 55th annual tournament in convincing fashion with a 69-18 rout over West Valley High this past Tuesday night. Four players scored in double figures as the Crusaders were never challenged, leading by a 42-4 count at halftime.
Senior Ronald Massey came off the bench to score a game-high 17 points while senior Vaj Rice scored 12 of his 16 points in the first half. Senior Jordan Mitchell and junior Ryan Porter each scored 10 points and Porter led the Crusaders with seven rebounds. Senior Robert Downs and sophomore Jacob Green each had five of the team’s 19 steals while senior Stedmon Bryant led with four assists.
V.C. played South Torrance High this past Wednesday for first place in one of four pools with the winner to face Fountain Valley High, La Habra High or Norwalk High tonight.
Elsewhere in the tournament, Norwalk split its two pool play games, getting past La Habra High 56-50 this past Monday before falling to Fountain Valley High 51-40 this past Tuesday. The Lancers trailed the Barons 16-4 after the opening quarter and was down by 15 points at the half. Senior Keno Valdenor scored a team-high 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds while senior Omar Tinoco and junior David Balderas each pitched in with six points.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
First round action of the John Glenn/Norwalk Tournament began this past Wednesday with four area teams participating. Whitney High fell apart in the second half and fell to Westchester High 61-36. The Comets are on the top teams in the California Interscholastic Federation-Los Angeles City Section. Junior Nicole Lee led Whitney with 12 points while freshman Justine Wu added nine points. The Lady Wildcats played La Serna High on Dec. 10.
Co-host John Glenn High also fell apart in the second half and succumbed to Compton Centennial High 46-29. Sophomore Savannah Madrid poured in a team-high eight points while junior Saurianna Harrison and sophomore Dalilah Mendoza each added half a dozen points. The Lady Eagles met Santa Fe High on Dec. 10.
Norwalk High was trounced by Legacy High, another L.A. City Section participant, 77-37 and faced Long Beach Jordan High on Dec. 10.
Gahr High trounced Santa Fe 52-20 this past Wednesday and faced Centennial in a quarterfinal game on Dec. 10 with the winner to face the winner of the Westchester/Fullerton High game tonight. Gahr was up 25-4 after the first quarter against the Chiefs. Sophomore Naomi Ellis paced the Gladiators with 13 points and 11 rebounds while senior Angelica Soltis added 10 points. Freshman Hannah Kumiyama crashed the boards to the tune of 10 rebounds.
YOUTH SPORTS
The City of Cerritos Youth Sports Elementary division flag football team won the SCMAF (Southern California Municipal Athletic Foundation) Tournament on Saturday Nov 21, 2015. Head Coach Jon Nielsen, whose teams have come in first Place the past three seasons, is no stranger to these All-Star playoffs, having played in them himself when he was younger and coaching nephews Casey and Corey Nielsen during their All-Star years.
The City of Cerritos Youth Sports Elementary division flag football team won the SCMAF (Southern California Municipal Athletic Foundation) Tournament on Saturday Nov 21, 2015. Shown in picture are Head Coach Jon Nielsen, Assistant Coaches Corey Nielsen, Phil Garcia and Reggie Montez. Players: Mojo Castillo, John Martinez, Tyler Gattoc, Lawrence Pacheco, Adrian Alcala, Aaron Montez, Josiah Joseph, Mario Mejico, Isiah Jordan, David Sagun, Eric Ace Louie, Mateo McIntosh, Jarret Nielsen.
Cerritos routed the City of Hawaiian Gardens 40-0 on Nov. 20 behind strong performances from quarterback Jarret Nielsen and running back Mateo McIntosh on offense and safety Tyler Gattoc and linebacker David Sagun on defense. Cerritos faced the City of Downey on Nov. 21 and continued its strong performance, shutting Downey out 28-0. Cerritos then faced the City of Inglewood in the championship game and won 24-14. Jarret Nielsen tossed three touchdown passes, one each to Gattoc, McIntosh and Sagun. Gattoc also had three interceptions.
The rest of the players are: Adrian Alcala, Mojo Castillo, Isiah Jordan, Josiah Joseph, Eric Ace Louie, John Martinez, Mario Mejico, Aaron Montez, and Lawrence Pacheco. Assisting Jon Nielsen are Phil Garcia, Reggie Montez and Corey Nielsen.
