For the Culver City High School girls’ basketball team, Ocean League champions three straight years, the 2AA CIF playoffs begin Saturday evening at 7 against Elsinore of the Sunbelt League in the Del Goodyear Gymnasium. Culver City is seeded seventh among the 32 teams.
The Centaurs will bring a record of 24-4 overall and 10-0 in the Ocean League into the playoffs. This is the third year in a row that Centaurs have gone unbeaten in league.
The Ocean may not be the strongest league in Southern California, but League 30 wins in a row is a magnificent accomplishment.
“It’s tough to stay on top of your game when the competition is not that great,” said Coach Julian Anderson. “Sometimes it’s hard to stay focused.”
They closed out the regular season last Friday with a onesided 63-18 victory over Beverly Hills.
The Centaurs have gone on an 11-game winning streak after losing to Serra on Jan. 13.
“Regardless of competition. the coaches can still tell if our team is playing well,” said Anderson after the Beverly Hills game. “We played well. The rotation was good. But we have to stay mentally ready and we will be okay.”
“If we play like we did tonight,” said senior Capt. Kelsey Ueda after the Beverly Hills game, we can go far into the playoffs.
“We had high intensity, and we played smart and we played with a lot of heart. We just need to be more consistent. We have the talent to do well.”
Against Beverly Hills the Centaurs had a balanced offense. Their leading scorer Michelle Curry had 20, Ueda 15, Katie Lin 15, Kailey Tooke had six and Megan Yoon scored five.
To go deep in the playoffs, All-CIF Curry must stay out of foul trouble. In the loss to Serra last month, Curry fouled out early in the second half.
The Centaurs have a lot of talent but Curry is clearly the best.
“The second half of the season, we have been a little shaky,” Curry said after the Beverly Hills game. “Hopefully this will put us back on the right track. We need to have the mindset to go out there and dominate teams.”
Ueda hopes her senior year ends with a CIF championship. “There are no more second chances for me,” said Ueda. “I have to play with all of my heart but also have fun.”
If the Centaurs win Friday, their next game will be Wednesday, Feb. 26, against Eisenhower or Moreno Valley.
Mr. Finley may be contacted at sfinley50@aol.com
