TORRANCE TRIBUNE March 24, 2016 Page 5 Up and Adam Lakers Young Core Continues to Blossom COME CELEBRATE EASTER HERE Bowl Some Games and Receive a Customer Appreciation Prize from our “Egg” Special Surprise Basket JOIN US MARCH 27,2016! From 9AM-4PM FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY • FOR THE KIDS WE HAVE VIDEO GAMES AND PRIZES • AIR HOCKEY FROM MAXINE’S GRILL - SNACKS & MEALS ADULT FUN IN THE COVE - POOL & SPORTS CHANNELS 24600 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance 310.326.5120 pvbowl.com By Adam Serrao The 2015-’16 NBA season has obviously been a disappointment for anyone who has watched a Lakers game. After 20 years as the star of the team, however, Kobe Bryant is giving Lakers fans one last gift before he walks off into the sunset of the Hollywood Hills. The future Hall of Famer and one of the best players the league has ever seen has been the only reason people have watched games this year. Suddenly, though, a shift into the youth movement has occurred. After the All-Star break, head coach Byron Scott took the reins off of his team and let them spread their wings. What happened next? Players like D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, and Julius Randle began to shine. While the Lakers brothers from the other side of the Staples center continue to try to make an impact in the playoffs, a young core dressed in Purple in Gold has begun to blossom. The Clippers have had their chance to shine and subsequently, have squandered it. It won’t be long before the youngsters on the Lakers mature and not only take back over L.A., but also the league. With all of the hopes flying around L.A. this season for yet another lottery pick in this year’s NBA draft, the young core that is already in place has begun to elevate their play. Sure, the Lakers are on pace to put together the franchises worst record in the history of its existence, but who cares if you can get another top-notch young player to go alongside Russell, Clarkson, and Randle, right? Well, setting franchise lows is never a good thing and is certainly not something to be proud of, especially when you’re the Lakers, but despite the poor play and egregious record, there remains some optimism blossoming in Laker Land. “The whole young (Lakers) core is very talented,” DeMarcus Cousins explained. “D’Angelo is coming along. Jordan is coming along. It’s just about time.” Cousins is the star center of, historically, one of the Lakers biggest rivals: the Sacramento Kings. For him to express kind words about the youngsters on the Lakers is certainly a compliment, to say the least. “It’s a matter of time before it’s clicking for all three of those guys. They’re going to be a problem,” he continued. Cousins is right, it’s only a matter of time. It should not be forgotten that despite their young ages, the trio of youngsters that currently occupy spots on the Lakers roster still have years until they reach their respective primes. At age 20, Russell is the youngest of the bunch behind Randle’s 21 and Clarkson’s 23. All three players should enter their prime at around the same time and when they do, watch out. Add to the mix another young up-and-comer from this year’s draft and in three years you could be looking at a Lakers team that closely resembles this year’s Golden State Warriors team. As Cousins said, it’s only a matter of time. If a player and veteran of that caliber is already admiring the young talent on the Lakers, then who knows who GM Mitch Kupchak and the rest of the Lakers front office will be able to wrangle up in next year’s free agency, where the Lakers will be among the team’s with the most money to spend in the league. Despite all of the excitement surrounding the Lakers youth movement, it’s not quite time to head to Downtown L.A. to witness a parade quite yet. As Russell knows, a glaring 14-55 record (as of last Tuesday) means that there is still much work to be done. “We’ve got to continue to keep proving it. We believe in each other. We know what each other are capable of. We’ve got to string some more wins together and make progress before we start speaking that far in advance.” While there may not be a parade at the end of this season, players like Russell bring hope to fan base that has been seriously devoid of it for what only seems like a decade now. “From the start of the season, we all knew it was going to take these guys time,” Scott said of his team of youngsters. “It’s just a matter of how much time.” Scott has been, indeed, toggling with that ever-so-frustrating dilemma of knowing when to play his youngsters so that they can get the experience that they need in late-game situations, and sitting them, because - well, quite frankly - the Lakers need to lose the game. Either way, Scott will have the tendency to come out looking like the bad guy. As he knows, it’s never fun playing for a spot in the NBA Draft Lottery, especially when he and the franchise is used to playing for a spot in the playoffs. Though this season has not offered much to Lakers fans in terms of success, it has allowed their imaginations to run wild with what could be in the future. Regardless of the outcome of this week’s game or how the team ends the season, there is a glimmer of hope and a look into a bright future that has a distinct possibility to bring better days ahead. Though they are down now, the Lakers will not be down forever. Russell, Clarkson, Randle and the rest of the youth movement in L.A. are certainly doing their part to show that to their fans sooner, rather than later. • Saxons Softball Loses TNT Crown By Adam Serrao The Torrance National Tournament is a softball tournament held each year at Wilson Park in Torrance, featuring some of the best softball teams from all across the South Bay and Southern California. Pool play of the tournament always runs from Tuesday-Thursday, with games also being held at North High, West High, Redondo High, and Recreation Park in El Segundo. The TNT is still a young tournament, this year being its fifth year of existence. Your local teams from around the city of Torrance have represented themselves well; especially North High, who has brought home the TNT crown the last two years in a row. This year, North went for an unprecedented three consecutive tournament titles. The Lady Saxons again did well, making it all the way to the tournament final to face off against Gahr. Despite an exciting comeback attempt, North fell two runs shy of making history. The team took a 7-5 loss last Saturday night at Wilson Park to end their reign on top. In its five years of existence, the TNT has always been explosive. Just last year we all witnessed North take on their rivals, Torrance High, in the semifinals of the tournament in what was an extremely exciting game. The Saxons, of course, went on to win that game and eventually took home the title with a victory against Agoura in the final. The year before, in 2014, the Lady Saxons took home the title for the first time by plating 20 runs against Carson. North, under head coach Howard Miller, didn’t have as much firepower in the tournament this year as they did back in 2014, but they still managed to make it back to the final after a 7-4 semifinal victory over St. Joseph. “It’s a senior-laden group,” Miller said of his Lady Saxons squad. “They’re getting along great and having a good time. It’s not so much about winning as it is about enjoying the season, playing well, and having fun with it.” Miller can say that now, but once league play begins in the middle of April, you can bet your bottom dollar that both he and his Saxons team has their eyes focused squarely on their rivals from Torrance and the rest of their Pioneer League competition. The fun that Miller and his team was having previously in the tournament quickly turned into a tiresome task in the finals matchup against Gahr. The Saxons fell behind 7-0, rapidly digging themselves into a deep hole. The team, like they always do, finally came alive in the fifth inning. Lauren Sabihon smacked a tworun home run over the outfield wall, but not before Sam Fernandez knocked in two runs of her own with a triple. The Saxons were able to tally up one more run in the bottom of the seventh when Desi Moreno doubled and later came around to score, but by that time it was too late and North’s deficit was too much to come back from. The team’s two run loss to Gahr ended their reign as TNT champs, but in the end, the Lady Saxons didn’t go down without a fight. North will get league play started against Centennial on April 13. With an 8-2 record, the Saxons currently sit in first place in the Pioneer League, one game above the Torrance Tartars. It should be an interesting finish to the regular season, to say the least. Torrance High The Torrance Tartars have traditionally found success at the Torrance National Tournament and as hosts of the tournament, that success has come with much appreciation from the fans. This year was no different. The Lady Tartars smoked through the first two rounds of the tournament, dominating Culver City with a 6-0 win, and proceeding to shutout Piedra Vista with a 10-0 victory. The Tartars first real challenge came in the tournament quarterfinals, though, when Torrance took on St. Joseph. A low scoring game eventually saw the Tartars take a narrow loss by a slim, 2-1 margin. The loss kept Torrance (9-3) from meeting up with North in what would have been a rematch of last year’s semifinals. The Saxons went on to beat St. Joseph in the semifinals and advance to the finals, where they lost versus Gahr. South High The South High Spartans got out to a rough start in the opening round of pool play in this year’s Torrance National Tournament. Despite Sommer Kisling eventually coming around to score after a leadoff triple to begin the game, the Spartans managed to squander a 3-0 lead to Millikan. Two runs in the top of the fifth inning plus one in the top of the sixth pushed Millikan ahead in the game to give them an eventual 5-4 lead. The Spartans (6-5) went on to notch impressive victories over Downey and La Serna, but ultimately took a 5-3 loss to their rivals from West High in the tournament’s Silver Consolation game. West High Despite an opening round, extra-inning, 2-0 victory over Palos Verdes, the West High Warriors were unable to prolong their success in this year’s Torrance National Tournament when they took a second round, 5-0 loss at the hands of Kennedy. The Warriors were able to rally after their loss with an 8-2 victory over Carson that put them into a rivalry game matchup with the South High Spartans. Sophomore Mailee Newman had two doubles and junior Alizae Umi came through with two RBI’s to lead the Warriors (6-4) to a 5-3 tournament consolation game victory. •
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