In Brief

Amir Soofi
Mirror contributing writer

   The Santa Monica High School Women’s Basketball team fell to 7-12, 2-7 in league, and is ahead of only Inglewood.
   Corona del Mar High placed first of ten teams in the CIF Southern Section coach’s poll in Division IV. Santa Monica High School Women’s Water Polo team placed last in the poll.
   Santa Monica High School Men’s Basketball team lost to Redondo Union High, 76-62, as the Sea Hawks’ Adam Zahn scored 24 points. Last season Redondo won its first section title since 1943, and returned five of its top six players. Wendell White and Eddie Topps were both out for injuries for the first few games, but since their return, the Sea Hawks have won seven consecutive games.
   Santa Monica (10-11, 4-5) also lost a league game to Inglewood High on Friday, 64-47. The Vikings, who scored merely three points in the second quarter, have yet to win a game at home. Viking guard Brett DeAngelis scored 22 points, 12 of which came from three-point shots.
   Santa Monica High School Football team star senior players are beginning to verbally commit to colleges. Viking defensive back and wide receiver Charles Gordon verbally committed to Kansas State University. The Ocean League’s co-player of the year with 66 catches for 1,229 yards and 21 touchdowns, and All-CIF Division X Offense Team selection, cannot formally commit until some time in February, according to NCAA rules.
   Crossroads Men’s Basketball team narrowly defeated Montclair Preparatory, 70-67, with the help of Eshaya Murphy’s 45 points. Murphy also contributed 35 points and 27 rebounds to the Roadrunner’s 63-51 victory over Cerritos Whitney High. Crossroads then continued to be the resilient force in the Delphic League with a triple overtime win, 71-67, over Campbell Hall. Robert Locke had 25 points. The Roadrunners have won five consecutive games.
   Crossroads Women’s Basketball team also earned a 38-34 victory against Montclair Prep.
   Crossroads and Brentwood Men’s Soccer teams tied 1-1 in the Extravaganza Classic last Friday at Crossroad’s home field. Zach Roth scored for the Roadrunners, while Robbie Reynolds tied it up for Brentwood. Crossroads (11-4-4) has not lost yet at home.
   St. Monica’s Men’s Basketball team continues to plow through the Camino Real League with an 87-33 victory over St. Anthony’s Preparatory.
   Taylor Hunt had 20 points, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter to let the Mariners pull away, as St. Monica’s Women’s Basketball team defeated Gardena Serra High, 53-46.
   St. Monica’s Women’s Soccer team faced their greatest obstacle to a league championship the last two Fridays when they faced eight-time defending Camino Real league champions, Mary Star. In the first match, St. Monica’s traveled to Mary Star and shocked them with a 1-0 upset win. Shahrzad Sadrpour scored the only goal. Goalie Veronica Alfieri and the Mariner defense registered their fourth league shutout.
   Mary Star came to the Mariner’s home field at Memorial Park for the rematch. It was a hard fought battle with Mary Star scoring one goal in the first half of play. The Mariners had several opportunities to score in the game but the Mary Star goalie proved too much to overcome. Late in the game, the winded Mariners allowed Mary Star an insurance goal on a penalty kick. St. Monica’s and Mary Star are now tied for the league lead with two weeks left in league play.
   Santa Monica College Men’s Basketball team never gave Glendale Community College a chance. The Vaqueros best point difference was at the opening jump ball as they proceeded to fall 75-59 in a Western State Conference Southern Division match. SMC (12-11, 4-1) and GCC (11-12, 3-2) were tied for second place in the WSC, behind LA Valley College, prior to Monday’s game.
   The loss came as a huge upset to the Vaqueros, who had soundly defeated West LA College 94-65 last Wednesday. Santa Monica’s Brandon Williams had something to do with the upset as he scored 22 points, leading the Corsairs through several fast breaks. Hugo Stark’s 15 points also contributed. The Vaqueros’ 30 of 37 shooting from the free throw line was their only saving grace, but that hardly made up for the 26 turnovers that gave the Corsairs almost twice as many minutes with the ball. Other Santa Monica scorers were Eskridge with 14 points and 4 steals, Bluette with seven points and four steals, Mihailovic with five points, Conner with four points, and Frerichs, Gilic, Norcross, and Tolbert with two points each.
   Prior to facing the Vaqueros, Santa Monica defeated Bakersfield, 73-62, then lost to LA Valley, 76-69. The WSC championship remains unpredictable, as none of teams in its contention is playing consistently.
   Santa Monica College Women’s Basketball fell to Glendale Community College Saturday night, 73-58. Judy Lee scored 23 points, in the first half alone, and Kelly Patterson contributed another 20 points, 14 rebounds, three steals, and four blocks for the Vaqueros.
   Democratic State Senator Sheila Kuehl, representing Santa Monica, voiced concern over the use of supplements in youths such as high school athletes nationally. In proceedings in Sacramento, she sponsored expert testimony that as many as one million students have taken weight loss and muscle building supplements. The CIF has no policy prohibiting the use of non-narcotic supplements. Some products, such as herbal ephedrine that becomes a narcotic after ingestion, are also legal to use. State lawmakers will consider measures to restrict minors’ access to these supplements.