Page 14 November 21, 2019 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Eagles from page 5
Eagles should be considered a legitimate
Ocean League contender. “We have a lot of
experience coming back and the new players
give us depth,” Peterson said. He added that
Storey Noble is a three-year starter for the Eagles. Jordan Peterson gives the Eagles a three-point threat. Hannah Chang will guide the offense for the Eagles this season.
the team has been diligent working hard on
the court and in the weight room.
The experience Peterson is talking about
relates to four players who are arguably some
of the South Bay’s best. Leading the way
is four-year starter Reese Jones. The senior
forward was the Ocean League’s Most Valuable
Player for 2018-19. Her leadership skills
should help her team rise in tight games. Her
undeniable scoring and ball-handling abilities
set her apart from her opponents. She says
she has been working more on her defense
since she expects to draw some of the opponents’
top threats. She said, “I’ll be ready.”
Hannah Chang returns for her fourth
season as one of the team’s starting guards.
She has great ball-handling skills and has a
high basketball IQ. That should translate into
helping keep the team calm down the stretch
during close games. She says for the team
to be as successful as last season’s, it must
be more vocal. “We need to talk more on
defense and switch when we need to make
adjustments,” she said.
Storey Noble, just a junior, is a two-year
starter but was a key reserve as a freshman.
She brings her court awareness, dribbling
skills and a disruptive defensive mindset to
a very talented staring five. She says her
main focus, in making the Eagles better, is
helping her teammates improve their game
on all levels.
Jordan Peterson is a three-year starter and
absolutely lives for basketball. She was an All-
Ocean League selection as a sophomore and
has improved her overall game. Her outside
shooting gives her team a threat from outside
and she could lead El Segundo in scoring this
season. Her calm demeanor and leadership
skills will be an asset for the Eagles.
Other returnees will include senior forward
Jordyn Marconet. She has improved
so much in such a short time that Petersen
is expecting her to be a threat underneath
the basket. Junior guard Kristin Tsubaki has
been one of the team’s quickest and fearless
defenders. She’ll be counted on to upset
the opposition’s offensive flow. Sophomore
point guard Bo Takehara returns as another
defensive specialist with her quickness and
knack to be near the ball. She is also a threat
from outside on offense. Another sophomore
guard is Christina Tsukahira who has gotten
stronger over her freshman year.
Newcomers to the Eagles are three talented
seniors who had phenomenal seasons on
a successful JV team. Akayla Burton and
Jada Charles give the Eagles size at the
forward spot while Eliana Gonzales gives
her team depth at the center position. Two
freshmen look to make an immediate impact
and could work their way into the rotation.
Nicole Ungaro is an athletic forward who
Peterson says has unlimited potential. Leila
Sugimoto has good ball-handling skills and
could eventually become the point guard
running the offense.
Overall the Eagles look to be improved
in each phase of their game. They’ll be an
exciting team watch as they take on some
challenging competition. They’ve looked
good in scrimmages against Mira Costa and
Bonita and opened their season this past
Monday against CAMS. The Rebels have
seven consecutive winning seasons. Last
night, the Eagles played host to View Park
and Monday they participate in the Redondo
Tournament that concludes on Saturday, Nov.
30. It is a challenging December schedule
that should benefit the Eagles as they seek
a second Ocean League title. The teams
they face should push them to improve from
game to game.
Cross-Country Teams
Qualify for CIF Finals
Both boys and girls qualified easily for CIF
Finals on Saturday after each team did well at
the CIF Prelims. The boys finished eighth while
the girls finished third in their respective heats.
Challenging running conditions that were dry
and windy with the temperatures reaching 86
degrees made times slower. The unfavorable
conditions did not deviate from head coach
Marcos Boanpos’ race plans. “With the depth
we have this year, we were able to rest some
key runners who will be big contributors in
finals,” he said.
The girls team was led by James Matlosz,
Sophia Zago and Tyler Matlosz. All three
have been the main forces up front for the
Eagles all year. They held a nice, steady pace
the entire race and finished 16th, 17th and
18th respectively. Three alternates gave the
Eagles a real boost. Jayden McColgan, Alyssa
Miller and Angela Schoenbaum, each running
their first CIF event, finished fourth, fifth and
sixth for the Eagles. Each finished 15-20
places ahead of what had been anticipated
going into the race. Leah Guziak finished
out the top seven Eagle runners with another
solid effort. Heading into the CIF finals, the
girls are currently ranked fifth in the Southern
Section and seventh in State. This was the
girls’ seventh consecutive season qualifying
for the CIF Southern Section finals.
The boys team was led by senior standout
Arend Verfaillie. His personal goal was to finish
no worse than 15th and he ended up eighth
overall. Currently, Verfaillie holds the fourth
fastest time on a three-mile course in Division
4 in the entire state of California. He is primed
and ready to lead the Eagles to a qualifying
effort to advance to the State meet. Junior
Will Garrell and senior Niall Glynn finished
second and third respectively for the Eagles
while Marcus Ortiz was able to put together
a solid race and finished for the team. Senior
Jonny Felker had another impressive effort
rounding out the top five that vaulted the
Eagles to an eighth place team finish. Junior
Cooper Haas was able to get through the
challenging day despite some leg issues and
finished strong. Sophomore Daniel Pop ran
his first varsity race and rounded out the top
seven with a really great effort. This was the
Eagles’ sixth straight CIF Finals qualifying
effort. They are currently ranked ninth in the
Southern Section and 12th in the State.
The runners, who took the prelims off, will
be well rested and give their teams a huge
boost at the CIF finals on Saturday. According
to Coach Bolanos, “This continues to be the
most talented boys team we have had and one
of the top two girls teams we have fielded.
When these runners put it all together, they
can compete with any of the best teams in
the state.”
Little League Registration Opens
Yes, it’s almost baseball season again. Well,
not really… but registration is upon to all
boys and girls ages five (by Sept. 1, 2020)
up to 12 years old (as of Aug. 31, 2020). To
play for the El Segundo Little League, you
must be a resident of El Segundo or attend
a school in El Segundo. Before you know it,
the Opening Day Parade on Saturday, Feb.
22, 2020 will be upon us. Information and
online registration, which is open till Dec. 10,
can be found at elsegundolittleleague.org. •
Both boys and girls cross-country teams will be competing for a CIF XC title on Saturday.
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