With additional reporting by George Laase.
Culver City High School’s girls basketball team quietly is building a dynasty.
Under the direction of Coach Julian Anderson and assistant coaches Mark Kitabayashi and Tom Nakayama, the Lady Centaurs have won 49 out of 50 games in the Ocean League the past five years.
Such numbers remind people of the UCLA days under John Wooden.
The Centaurs’ only league loss in five years was to El Segundo this season.
“It feels good,” said Anderson after a win at Beverly Hills. “Fifty-and-oh would be better. But I will take 49-1. That one loss was a good learning experience for this team. I like the way our team rebounded from that loss.”
Wooden once said a loss in certain situations can help bring a team closer together. “We are a very close team, and we have great chemistry,” said junior point guard Windy Yoon. “We play very well together. Sometimes we lose focus, so we need to just focus on our goals and go for it.”
As the point guard, Yoon is like a coach on the basketball court. “I always try to stay positive no matter what happens,” she said. “I try to make the right calls on the court and stay confident.”
The Lady Centaurs will try to continue their winning ways tonight. They face Arcadia from the Pacific League in the first round of the 1AA CIF playoffs at 7 o’clock in the Del Goodyear gym. Culver City enters the playoff game with a 10-game winning streak. Their overall record is 18-7 and their first place Ocean League record is 9-1.
Although the Lady Centaurs have solid leadership in seniors Alexis Arancibia, Kate Suyetsugu and Kailey Tooke. They will need their younger players to step up if they expect to be successful in the playoffs. “As a team we are going to play with a lot of enthusiasm and heart because it’s the playoffs,” said freshman Amy Yoon, sister of Windy. “We are going to do the best job we can do.”
Mr. Finley may be contacted at sfinley50@aol.com
Mr. Laase may be contacted at GMLaase@aol.com
