Slow starts and fantastic finishes worked for thoroughbreds like Silky Sullivan and Zenyatta and distance runner Dave Wottle, but will the pattern work for the Culver City High School boys varsity basketball team, which upped its record to 14-3 overall and 2-0 in league last week with two come-from-behind victories?
The Centaurs play games in the Del Goodyear gymnasium all week, concluding with Friday night's clash with visiting Hawthorne at 7:30 p.m. Culver City hosted preseason-pick Inglewood, Wednesday, and played a home practice game, Monday, against University High (Irvine).
The Centaurs play this Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., at Beverly Hills.
Last Wednesday at Morningside High School, Keilan Horton drained a three-point shot from the corner with three seconds on the clock to send the game into overtime, and the Centaurs never looked back in the league opening 75-70 win.
A diving steal by Darren Johnson got the ball into the hands of Horton for the game-tying basket.
Culver City trailed by 11 points, 50-39, after three quarters. Culver City picked up the intensity on defense in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime.
Rufus Humphrey had 15 defensive rebounds.
“That's an amazing number of boards, his best defensive game this season,” Centaur assistant coach David Gordon said of Humphrey, who finished with 70 hustle points (assists, steals, rebounds, blocks), including 20 rebounds.
Aamahd Walker had 34 hustle points, Johnson compiled 31 and Gabe Baettig contributed 25.
The Vikings played like hungry tigers and Culver City looked like fat cats in an 11-0 start to the delight of Santa Monica High School fans at the Viking gym, last Friday.
Horton ignited a 7-0 run in the third quarter with a steal, a layup, a defensive rebound, an assist and a jumper from the top of the key, to close a 36-23 gap to 36-30. Culver City went on to win, 62-54.
“The players became energized, aggressive and started rolling after Keilan's plays,” said Gordon.
Jaylen Carpenter led the comeback with seven assists in the second half, most of them resulted in short bank shots by Humphrey, who acknowledged Carpenter's unselfish play with nods after each easy score.
Walker pitched in with several impressive driving layups. Johnson had four key steals and four assists.
Carpenter had a team-high 37 hustle points. Johnson tallied 23 and Humphrey had 22.
In the two games, Culver City had a total of 40 points in the first halves, and 90 points in the second halves.
