With George Laase
Culver City High School’s winter sports teams are loading up for the CIF playoffs as they face the most important part of their season.
With three Ocean League games remaining, three of the four teams are facing must-win games.
Only the first-place Lady Centaurs’ basketball team is guaranteed a playoff spot.
Teams in boys soccer, girls soccer and boys basketball all must win this week and next to reach the post season.
Although the girls’ basketball team is in first place, injuries have forced coach Julian Anderson go deeper.
“Trying to figure out all the different situations because of the injuries is fun and frustrating all at the same time,” said Coach Anderson last week. “We are just trying to get through one game at a time.”
Several players are doing their best to fill the injury void. “Megan Yoon is really stepping up,” he said. “Sometimes she gets a little tired but she is doing a great job.”
Coach Anderson also expects Kailey Tooke to be the super star he says she can be. “With the talent that Kailey has, we want to see her dominate,” he said. “When she scores 16 points we feel she could have scored 30. That’s how much talent she has.”
The Lady Centaurs are 6-0 in the Ocean League, 13-9 overall. They play in Santa Monica at 6 on Friday. They are home against Hawthorne on Tuesday at 6 and Beverly Hills on Thursday at 6.
The boys basketball team, struggling at 1-5 in league, is 8-14 in all games.
They need two wins if they expect to get an at-large bid to the playoffs. The way they have played lately, that is a tall order.
“Our offense is killing us,” said coach Adam Eskridge. “It’s a lack of ball movement, a lack of people movement. In practice, the ball moves around. But when we play against teams that are athletic, we freeze. We are trying to teach basketball instincts. I feel good about our defense.
“Unless we fix our offense, we are going to be in trouble.”
Next Games
The Centaurs play at Santa Monica on Friday at 7:30. Next week they are home against Hawthorne on Tuesday at 7:30, and they close out the Ocean League against Beverly Hills on Thursday at 7:30.
The girls’ soccer team, 3-3 in league and 9-6-2, is playing at their best. Tied for third place, they should make the playoffs if they win two of their final three.
They are home against first place Santa Monica (6-0) at 3 on Friday. The Lady Centaurs are on the road to close out, at Hawthorne on Tuesday at 3, at Beverly Hills on Thursday at 6.
The boys’ soccer team, fourth in the league at 2-3-1, goes to Santa Monica on Friday to play the 3-3 Vikings at 3 o’clock. p.m. Next week on the Jerry Chabola Field, they play Hawthorne at 6 on Tuesday and Beverly Hills on Thursday at 6.
Mr. Finley may be contacted at sfinley50@aol.com.
Mr. Laase may be contacted at GMLaase@aol.com.
