By Mike Cohen and Joe Snyder
Winning titles in two of its three pre-league tournaments, the Culver City High School boys varsity basketball team (9-3) is eager to start Ocean League competition but will not entertain an opponent until Jan. 4 at Bell Gardens in a non-league game at 7 p.m. Culver City will host West Torrance at 7 p.m. the following day. Centaurs open league on Jan. 12, at Morningside High School.
Picking up the defensive intensity and unselfish ball distribution in the third quarter, Culver City went on to upend Santa Margarita, 57-50, in the championship game last weekend at the Westminster Tournament.
Darren Johnson was named MVP of the tournament.
The Culver City boys basketball team came in fourth place the prior week with two wins and two losses in four highly competitive games at the Beverly Hills Tournament. An aggregate of 70 fouls were called in all four games.
In the first game, Culver City turned it on in the fourth quarter, 20-10, to defeat Renaissance Academy, 57-48.
Junior forward Aamahd Walker led the Centaurs with 22 points and 64 hustle points (rebounds, assists and steals). Rufus Humphrey had 12 points and 58 hustle points. Johnson tallied 20 hustle points.
Culver City defeated defending tournament champions San Pedro, 65-53, in the second round, playing with teamwork (17 assists), precision (12 turnovers) and control (10 fouls).
Keilan Horton led with 20 points, while Walker chipped in 19. Gabe Baettig had 44 hustle points. Horton and Johnson had 31.
"The players made the extra pass and that was the difference," said Centaur assistant coach David Gordon.
In the semi-final game, the Centaurs sent Los Angeles city power Fremont to the free throw line for 35 shots in Culver's 66-59 setback.
Tied 25-25 at halftime, Fremont used free throws to take a 49-39 bulge going into the fourth quarter and then held on. Fremont, which won the classic, converted on 26 of 37 shots from the charity line.
Walker led the Centaurs with 24 points and 35 hustle points. Julius Wilson had 20 hustle points.
Ocean League opponent Beverly Hills topped Culver City, 60-58, with two Culver players and four Beverly Hills players fouling out.
Culver City missed the front end of three one-and-ones at the start of the fourth quarter, while Beverly hit four straight free throws to take a 47-45 lead. The Normans scored with five seconds left to take a 60-58 lead and a Centaurs' contested five-foot shot rolled slowly across the rim and onto the floor as the horn sounded to end an exciting game.
"Both teams played with a lot of energy. Their two league games should be just as intense," said Gordon.
Walker led Culver with 18 points. Horton and Johnson added 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Centaurs. Carpenter had 39 hustle points and Baettig contributed 35.
