EL SEGUNDO HERALD January 21, 2016 Page 3 Lady Eagles Flying High after Historical Win By Gregg McMullin It’s not often that an El Segundo high school team is involved in a historical win. You have to go back to last softball season when the Eagles defeated Orange Lutheran 4-3 in the Pioneer Valley Best of the West Tournament in Santa Maria. Orange Lutheran was undefeated and the eighth ranked team in the nation at the time. Or you could go back to the baseball team’s 7-1 win over Beverly Hills on March 3, 2007 that gave head coach John Stevenson his 1000th career win. Fast forward to the present when the Lady Eagles basketball team defeated Culver City 55-46 in a key Ocean League game. It marked the first time in 42 consecutive Ocean League games that the Centaurs had lost a game dating to Los Angeles anytime in the near future? That fact is still unknown, but the San Diego Chargers have the option to move to Los Angeles and share the stadium with the Rams. Chargers owner Dean Spanos certainly doesn’t like the idea of sharing and wants to put his own stamp on the L.A. area. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t have the money or the smarts of Kroenke to plan ahead. Now, if he brings the Chargers to L.A., it will be as almost a little brother to Kroenke and the Rams. The Chargers have until March of this year to decide on a move if they want to join the Rams for the 2016 season and until next January, at the latest, to make a decision to come to L.A. at all. Should they decline and stay in San Diego, the NFL will give the organization $100 million to build a new stadium. While the idea of a Carson stadium is dead and there will certainly not be three teams in L.A., the Raiders also still have a shot at moving to Inglewood. If back to February 10, 2011, when they lost the Chargers choose to stay in San Diego to Beverly Hills 45-37. Most if not all of the and the city gives them a new stadium, the Eagle’s roster were aware of the long streak Raiders will then have the option of joining and playing in front of a large home crowd Kroenke and the Rams in Inglewood. It seems they were eager to be the ones to halt it. to be the wish of Raiders owner Mark Davis If this were a movie you could easily queue to stay in Oakland, building a new stadium up the theme from, ‘The Natural’ and get the there (also with $100 million from the NFL), feeling that this was to be a special night. El but the city of Oakland doesn’t seem to be Segundo’s defense helped set the tone early on keen on the idea of shelling out the money and their intensity only solidified their desire. that it would take to do so. But that isn’t something new according to head Rams head coach and ex USC player, Jeff coach Randy Kiehm who said the players have Fisher, seemed to have mixed feelings about played at a different level this season. the move. “We’re leaving a great fan base,” The Centaurs had a size advantage and he said. “We’re leaving some people who are presence inside but they rely on their outside very, very disappointed. I personally want to shooting to demoralize teams. Against the Eagles thank those people, the St. Louis Rams fans, they made their first 3-point shot attempt by who got to watch them win a Super Bowl.” It’s Amy Yoon but for the game they made just always hard saying goodbye, but what can be 5 of 25 attempts. It was the defensive pressure better than moving to bright, sunny Southern by Paige Endo, Hannah Nonoguchi and California? A location that will inherit a team Makaela Bordieri outside and the inside play that is seemingly on the rise. With one of the of Quinn Adams and Ani Finau that caused best defenses in the league, the Rams also the Centaurs to shoot less than thirty percent feature star running back Todd Gurley and from the field on the night. speedster Tavon Austin on offense. If they go It’s been said that big time players play big out and get a quarterback, Los Angeles could in big-time games and that adage was certainly be looking into buying playoff tickets at the true for the Eagle’s Paige Endo. Not only did Coliseum in the team’s first year of inception. one of the South Bay’s most gifted players It’s hard to believe, but as this NFL season score eight of the team’s 12 first quarter points quickly comes to its completion, the anticipation but her defensive efforts even drew raves from for next season has already begun. In less the opposition. than one year, fans from around all of Los El Segundo’s 12-7 lead after the first quarter Angeles will have the ability to root for and edged higher but the Centaurs’ Kaily Tooke see a hometown team in person for the first made consecutive 3-pointers to close the gap. time in 20 years. Distant memories of the old EL Segundo responded with a highlight nolook Rams and Raiders teams that played here in the pass from Endo to Ani Finau for a reverse past are either dim in your mind or completely non-existent to begin with. Kroenke and his new Los Angeles Rams are moving out to Los Angeles to enliven those memories and give us all the opportunity to root for a hometown football team once again. • See Eagles, page 9 layup just before halftime and a 23-19 lead. El Segundo’s ploy of slowing the game down and getting an open shot while taking Culver City out of their rhythmic game plan seemed to work. If the Eagles could complete their mission in the season they could get the upset they’d been longing for. Midway through the third quarter when the game was close Melissa Euyoque came up with the defensive play or plays of the game. She blocked consecutive shot attempts one by the Centaurs’ Wendy Yoon and the other by Angel Morris. It turned into a three point play on the other end by Bordieri to give the Eagles a 35-31 lead. The Centaurs wouldn’t go away and tied the game at 36-36 early in the fourth period. The Eagles wouldn’t blink and the intensity picked up on both ends. Endo’s two free throws gave her team a four point lead. Finau then took a long pass after a steal from Endo to up the lead. One possession later after another steal by Endo and she found Finau open for an easy layup and a 46-38 lead. Quinn Adams kept the margin wide by sinking two free throws in the stretch and hitting a short range jumper later on. El Segundo kept the pressure on and the Centaurs couldn’t make up the nine point deficit and the Eagles came away with the win. Endo led all scorers withy 26 points and nine assists while Finau had 12 points and nine rebounds while Quinn Adams had six points and 11 rebounds. With the victory it set up a key Ocean League game against Hawthorne last night. The Eagles travel to Lawndale Friday night before hosting Santa Monica next Wednesday night and Beverly Hills next Friday night; both games are set for 6pm tip-offs. The boys’ basketball team defeated Culver City 70-47 in an Ocean League game. The Eagles used a smothering defense while providing an up-tempo offense to help take down the Centaurs. The defensive inspired Eagles leaned on Josh Hessing on offense to take a 11-8 after the senior guard connected on back to back buckets and Justin Ostler made a 3-pointer to give their team a 14-10 lead. El Segundo ended the first quarter on a 6-1 run and led 20-11. The Centaurs had their opportunities especially inside where they dominated the offensive boards but came away empty on most possessions. Hessing gave the Eagles a 15 point lead with four minutes remaining in the half. Eli Chaney free throw gave the Eagles their largest lead of the first half, a 41-23 advantage. In the second half the Eagles slowed down the pace and the lead kept creeping up. Mike Lynch’s jumper extended the lead to 51-30 and the Centaurs attempt at a comeback withered. Hessing led all scorers with 16 points while Chase Ali-Watkins had 15 points. The free throw shooting by the Eagles has improved vastly over the season. Against Culver City Burkley & Brandlin LLP A T T O R N E Y S A T L A W Living Trusts/Wills, Probate, Employment Law, Personal Injury Trust and Estates Litigation, Business Litigation, Civil Litiga tion 310-540-6000 Lifetime El Segundo Residents *AV Rated (Highest) Martindale - Hubbell / **Certified Specialist Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law, State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization Brian R. Brandlin • Bruce R. Brandlin • Christopher P. Brandlin Going Back to Cali By Adam Serrao If you had to start all over from scratch and pick an NFL team to root for, which would it be? For the first time in two decades, that decision will be made just a bit easier. The St. Louis Rams will move back to Los Angeles for the 2016 season, ending a 20 year drought of football in one of the biggest markets in America. Naturally, this doesn’t mean that you have to become a Rams fan, but for the first time in a long time, the opportunity is there to get in your car, drive down the freeway, and tailgate outside of what will be one of the most immaculate NFL stadiums in the league come its completion in what is scheduled for 2019. After more than 30 months of deliberation, teasing, and over-thinking things, the league’s owners voted 30-2 to send the Rams back to California. Ultimately, it was Stank Kroenke and his plan for a $1.86 billion stadium in Inglewood that paved the way. “It’s been a long road, but we made it,” the billionaire Kroenke said at his and the new teams press conference at the Great Western Forum last Friday afternoon. “We’re happy to be here. It’s quite a privilege. We’re looking forward to moving ahead on this. Coming in here and being received like this is wonderful.” The press conference turned into a boisterous rally near the site of the team’s future home in Inglewood, where Kroenke was serenaded by chants of, “We love Stan.” Meanwhile, in St. Louis, they were burning jerseys and taking down banners at the ‘old’ Edward Jones Dome. Kroenke is only looking forward now, though. The 300-acre development that he smartly bought years ago at the former site of Hollywood Park will not only fatten Kroenke’s pockets even more so, but will also give football fans in Los Angeles a one of a kind experience not available to most other fans across the nation. “We’re going to bring Super Bowls here,” Kroenke told the media at his press conference turned rally. “We’re going to bring events like the Final Four. The Final Four hasn’t been here in decades. They’ve already talked to us.” Naturally, the location will be featured as a football stadium, but may just surpass the Staples Center as the premier venue in Southern California. Buy your land in Inglewood now while you still can. Kroenke’s new stadium will seat 70,000 people with the ability to expand and sit 80,000. While the stadium is being built, the Rams will play in the L.A. Coliseum. The mayor of Inglewood, James Butts, has said that he has already written a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell requesting the presently unnamed stadium in Inglewood be home to Super Bowl LV in February 2021. So, will the Rams be the only team coming Douglass M O R T U A R Y “Our Family Serving Yours Since 1954” B U R I A L - C R E M A T I O N - W O R L D W I D E T R A N S F E R P E T M E M O R I A L P R O D U C T S 500 EAST IMPERIAL AVENUE EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA 90245 Telephone (310) 640-9325 • Fax (310) 640-0778 • FD658 We’ve merged! 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