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Sports

Redondo Girls Net Bay League Victory at Peninsula

Lady Sea Hawks notch a 46-36 victory on strong defensive play Tuesday night. They play arch rival Mira Costa on Friday.

Rebounding is the name of the game for the Redondo Union girls basketball team. It’s a requisite that Sea Hawks coach Marcelo Enriquez keeps preaching over and over.

“I tell the girls everyday,” Enriquez said, “that if they want to win the Bay League, they must rebound. Rebounding, rebounding, rebounding.”

Though they only won the battle of the boards by a 29-28 count, it was enough for Enriquez. It also helped the visiting Sea Hawks earn a 46-36 victory over Palos Verdes Peninsula in the Bay League opener between the two teams Tuesday night.

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Defense also played a significant role in the outcome.

 “We just had one breakdown in communication all night, but I thought we played really well on defense," Enriquez said. "I was incredibly pleased with that.”

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On offense, senior forward Ashiana Antar led the way for Redondo, scoring 12 points. Seniors Riki Murakami and Allie Goldberg each scored eight points. Forward Michelle Lowery led the Sea Hawks in rebounding with eight boards.

 Redondo (10-8, 1-0), which had dropped four of its past five contests and five of its past seven, began to dictate the contest in the second quarter. Though Peninsula (9-8, 0-1) stayed close, the Sea Hawks defense prevailed in the fourth quarter.

Redondo took a 29-28 lead heading into the final period. But an 11-4 spurt helped the Sea Hawks pull away to record the victory.

A basket by Antar, who scored six of her points in the fourth, and layup by Rachel Scarlett gave Redondo a 40-32 advantage with 3:43 left. Peninsula cut the margin to six, but got no closer.

“We played well in the fourth quarter and our defense was the reason for that,” Enriquez said.

It wasn’t that way for Redondo early on. Peninsula, which relies on its three-point shooting, used its favorite weapon to mount a 11-4 lead after a three-pointer by Stephanie Wong, who led the Panthers with 10 points, with 3:07 left in the first quarter.

But Redondo rallied. Consecutive three-pointers by reserve point guard Annie Park and Murakami cut Peninsula’s lead to 11-10 at the end of the first.

In the second quarter, the game began to change in Redondo’s favor. The half ended with consecutive baskets by Shayna Stuart and Lowery, giving Redondo a 20-17 advantage at intermission.

Peninsula took its last lead after Wong nailed a three-pointer with 1:14 remaining in the third quarter for a 28-27 advantage. But Stuart’s basket at the buzzer to end the quarter gave the Sea Hawks the lead for good.

Redondo continues its league slate with a visit Friday to rival Mira Costa before hosting West Torrance on Jan. 18. Both games are scheduled to start at 6 p.m.

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