Page 6 December 9, 2021 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Eagles from page 3
opponents to 29 points per game, 46-40 and
Hart High, which is (5-2) and averages 55
points per game, 47-43.
Notre Dame sprinted to an opening first
quarter 17-0 lead before Paris Gravett scored
three baskets and cut the Eagles deficit to
17-6 heading into the second quarter. El
Segundo made better shot selections and cut
down on empty possessions in the second
quarter. Tina Tsukahira and Bo Takehara
kept the Eagles close with their shooting.
Gravett’s three-point lay made it 30-22, and
Leila Sugimoto’s bucket, with time running
down in the quarter made cut their deficit
to 30-24.
Takehara’s bucket to open the third period
got her team closer. Notre Dame’s Diantha
Fonseka responded with a three-pointer for
a 33-26 lead. The Eagles completed their
comeback with a basket by Nicole Ungaro,
two free throws by Gravett, and a three-pointer
by Sugimoto to tie the game at 33-33 with
1:58 remaining in the quarter. Takehara’s
buzzer-beating basket cut the deficit to 37-
35, heading into the fourth quarter. In the
fourth quarter, questionable officiating and
timely free throws by Notre Dame doomed
El Segundo’s comeback win possible. It was
an impressive game for the Eagles, who
spotted the Knights a 17 point first-quarter
lead but didn’t fold.
Against the Hart Indians, the Eagles fell
behind by ten points going into the third
quarter. El Segundo’s ice-cold shooting and
turnovers led to a scoreless period and a
27-point lead for Hart.
The fourth quarter was very different and
showed the Eagle’s never-give-up attitude.
El Segundo’s defense hounded the Indians,
causing turnovers, poor shot selections, and
terrible shooting. The result was the Eagle’s
best effort this season on defense that saw El
Segundo shutout Hart in the fourth quarter.
Tina Tsukahira made four three-pointers, Bo
Takehara had six points, and Leila Sugimoto’s
three-pointer with 17 seconds remaining closed
the deficit to 47-43. In the fourth quarter, the
Eagles had outscored their opponents 23-0
but came up short on the win.
The Eagles played host to Chadwick yesterday
and face San Pedro on Saturday at
1:30 p.m. in the El Segundo Classic.
Eagles Comeback
Comes up Short
Head coach David March is encouraged
with his young team’s play, especially with
their effort in their 60-51 loss against a
talented Peninsula team. The Eagles fell
behind early and had to play catch up the
entire game. Trailing 50-33 to start the fourth
quarter, the Eagles ramped up their defense.
They held the Panthers, a team that should
compete for a Bay League title, to a mere
10 points. Preston Engle helped lead the
defensive fourth-quarter effort. In the second
half, Nolan Kelly was also a big factor on
defense, coming up with three steals. El
Segundo made a push in the final period but
came up short. Engle led all scorers with 23
points, while Kelly had eight points.
Even with the Eagles in the midst of a
three-game losing streak, Coach March sees
some positives. “We played 12 players, so
everyone is getting some valuable minutes.
The guys are playing hard, and with a young
team, they’re still learning.” He added that
he figured his team might struggle early on
with a challenging schedule. “These games
will help prepare us for league play.”
The Eagles will be tested on Saturday
when they host Windard, ranked ninth in
the latest CIF Southern Section Division
1 poll, at noon in the El Segundo Classic.
Next week the Eagles play at Leuzinger
on Wednesday.
Girls Water Polo
Splits First Two Matches
The season opener for the Eagles went well
against Division 2 power Santa Monica. It
was a complete team effort on both ends in
their 18-7 victory. In the second game against
Division 1 power Long Beach Wilson, it was
different. The Eagles may have fallen to the
Rams 21-9, but the final score doesn’t tell
how close the game was.
Avery Torres scored three goals against Long Beach Wilson.
Long Beach Wilson plays an aggressive
and physical game with an up-tempo offense.
They rely on long passes to sprinters
who close in for assertive shots on goal. The
Eagles pounded the net in the first quarter
with shots but came away empty. That led
to turnaround long passes and easy shots for
the Rams. Wilson built up a 9-1 lead after
one period, with Emmie Ramirez scoring
the Eagle’s lone goal. In the second quarter
Avery Torres and Ramirez, each scored
goals, but the Rams built a 13-3 cushion
at halftime.
In the third period, El Segundo was able
to slow down the pace, and freshman goalie
Kendall Donahue got help from her defense.
The Eagles quieted the Rams holding them
to two goals as El Segundo kept the game
in check with two goals by Ramirez and
another by Torres. With a surge by the Eagles
in the fourth quarter, the Rams reinserted
their starters. Torres scored her third goal,
Stephanie Rodriquez scored off an assist from
Ramirez, and Ramirez scored off an assist
from Rodriquez to cap the fourth-period
scoring for El Segundo.
The Eagles faced another stiff test yesterday
against Redondo. They are at Peninsula today
and host Palos Verdes at 3 p.m. on Tuesday,
December 14.
Boys Soccer Opens
with Pair of Wins
There are high hopes for the Eagles this
season with seven returning players who
either started or played significant minutes
last season. They’ve opened their season with
a pair of wins over two good programs. The
Eagles opened up with San Pedro on the
road on a dilapidated muddy field. Some of
the new players were still taking some time
to adjust to the tactical formation, and they
weren’t quite clicking in the opening half of
a scoreless first half.
In the second half, the Eagles made some
changes. Nate Meyerson provided some life
down the left side on the attack. The moment
he came in, he started causing all kinds of
problems for the Pirates’ defense. Goals from
Liam Moore and Micah Meyerson assisted
by Tyler Cleland on both, and a penalty kick
by Gage Van Kleek allowed the Eagles to
settle for a comfortable 3-1 win.
The Eagles were expecting a pretty even
match in the home opener against the Peninsula
Panthers. The Eagles got an early
lead and then added two second-half goals
to defeat the Panthers 4-2. It was an exciting
up-tempo game from end to end. A mistake
on a defensive snafu by the Panthers goalkeeper
gave El Segundo an early 1-0 lead
on Connor Moore’s shot attempt.
That first goal seemed to give the young
Eagles confidence and settle their nerves.
The Eagles added another first-half goal to
take a 2-1 lead on Angel Rojas’ effort. In
the second half, the Eagles got goals from
Constanin Papadopoulos and another by
Moore. Cleland had an assist in the second
half. Josh Lopez and Jackson Bevelhiemer
were instrumental midfield defenders.
The Eagles hosted Mira Costa on Tuesday,
face CIF power Animo today on the road
and host Culver City on Monday, December
13 at 3 p.m.
Nootbaar Selected to 2021
All-Arizona Fall League Team
The St Louis Cardinals sent Lars Nootbaar
to the Arizona Fall League to make up for
some of the at-bats he missed while on the St.
Louis bench this past season. The outfielder
performed well and took advantage for a
player with experience in ‘The Show’. He
ranked third in the AFL in slugging percentages
(.643) and OPS (1.080) while batting
.314 in 87 plate appearances. During the
off-season, he continues to train with all-star
third baseman Nolan Arenado. •
Bo Takehara’s defensive effort helped shutout Hart High in the
fourth quarter.
Leila Sugimoto dribbles before her bucket with time running down
in the quarter cut the Eagle’s deficit to 30-24.
Stephanie Rodriquez closes in for a score. Sally Gonzales looks to pass against Long Beach Wilson.