The Gardena Panthers girls’ basketball team ended their City Section playoff run on a high note by defeating the Fremont Pathfinders 54-12 to win the Girls Division IV City Section Title.
“Keeping our heads together and staying in the game was our main thing,” said Gardena junior Sanahya Hubbard. “This is what we’ve been looking forward to and I’m glad we accomplished what we’re going for.”
The Carson Colts boys basketball team outlasted the Jordan Bulldogs 62-60 in an overtime thriller, winning the Boys Division III City Section Championship.
The Panthers committed full-court presses and attacked the defensive boards. Their suffocating defense left the Pathfinders scoreless in the fourth quarter.
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“Our defense right now is the best part of what we do,” said Gardena head coach Tracey McNeil. “We just got to turn around and just translate that and transfer it to scoring opportunities.”
Prior to the championship, the Panthers had been working on the offensive end. The result was three different players landing a three-pointer in the second half.
“It just took lots of practice for everybody to know their rotation, everybody to be in sync and everybody to have the same mindset,” said Gardena senior India Cage.
This is the first time the Panthers won a City Section title since they won the Division III championship in 2018. Fremont were the reigning Division V champs.
The Boys Division III championship between the Carson Colts and the Jordan Bulldogs was a chest match, the point difference did not exceed seven. Jordan junior Davon Jones led all scorers with 34 points and senior Jacob Ortega led the Colts with 23 points.
“We knew it was gonna come down to the last fight and we just happened to pull through,” said Carson senior Ezekiel Harry who scored 17 points in the contest. “We was prepared because we knew they was a good team.”
Jordan ended the first quarter with a 13-11 lead. Back-to-back threes by Carson gave them a 25-23 advantage by halftime.
The second half consisted of five ties and two lead changes. Carson tried to pull away but shots by Jones kept the score close. His free throws with seconds left in the fourth quarter would tie the game at 55, forcing overtime.
“I had a lot of confidence in myself,” Jones said. “It’s moments like that where your adrenaline kick in to where you got to put your team and your body on the line to get the win.”
Overtime was a test of both team’s free-throw skills. Jones fouled out with 2:16 left in the extra period. Harry scored the final free throw to secure the win.
After winning the title, Carson has a 14-16 overall record and a 4-6 Marine League record. Jordan had a 23-7 overall record, they paced the Imperial League with an 12-0 record.
