After starting the CIF-Southern Section Division III-AA by rolling over Riverside Arlington, 74-47, in the first round last week at Culver City High School, the host Centaurs could not get through a strong Bishop Montgomery team from Torrance in a 67-41 second-round loss.
Culver City finished its season at 20-8 after tying for second place behind Santa Monica in the Ocean League with a 6-4 record.
Bishop Montgomery, which won the Del Rey League due to forfeiture losses from would-be champion Gardena Serra because of the use of an ineligible player, took advantage of its league’s top seeding and No. 6 seed overall in the playoffs. The Knights (20-6) jumped to a 20-9 first quarter lead and continued to command throughout the contest, although the Centaurs tried to keep the game respectful.
Culver City trailed by 15 points (48-33) after three quarters before Bishop Montgomery turned the contest into a blowout, outscoring the Centaurs, 19-8, in the fourth period. The Centaurs tightened up on defense in the third quarter, but could not get going on offense, and in the fourth quarter, desperation 3-point shots by Culver City were quickly turned into fast breaks for Bishop.
Culver City, which shot well against Arlington in the first round, was held to single-digit scoring in three of the four quarters.
Despite the loss, the Centaurs had a game-high 20 points by Aamahd Walker. Keilan Horton added 11 points.
Walker tallied 35 hustle points (rebounds, assists, steals and blocks). Rufus Humphrey had 17 and Darren Johnson collected 15. Sophomore Julius Wilson and Kekoa Mathews had nine hustle points each.
The Knights, who played at No. 3 seed La Canada in the quarterfinals, had a balanced scoring attack, led by freshman Justin Bibbens, who had13 points, and Tyler Harvey with 12.
Against Arlington, Culver City exploded for a 24-5 second period, for a commanding 36-14 halftime lead.
Culver City concentrated its defensive effort on Arlington’s main two scorers, Mason Biddle and Daniel Hopkins. The strategy worked, as Arlington was held to five points in the second quarter. With a minute to go at the end of the second quarter, two steals led to two layups and a free throw, which gave the Centaurs a comfortable 36-14 lead.
Highlighting the big second quarter was a slam dunk by Walker, who led all scorers with 24 points.
The slower Lions would get no closer than 18 points, as Culver City continued to prove too much for them in the second half.
Also scoring in double figures for Culver was Horton with 16 points, and Humphrey with 10.
Walker had a big game with 60 hustle points. Gabe Baettig put up 34, Mathews had 32, and Humphrey contributed 31.
“The results were good,” said Culver head coach Jonathan Chapman. “We held their top two scorers to a total of 25 points,” he said.
“Aamahd had a great game. He’s one of our better players. Rufus came up big and he’s smart,” said Chapman.
Biddle scored 15 points for the Lions, who finished 13-14 after placing third in the Inland Valley League behind co-champions and Riverside area powers Moreno Valley and Rancho Verde.
The Centaurs finished with a 20-win season and two home playoff games. Most of the games were decided in the final minutes or seconds.
“The school and community can be proud of this team for the talent, teamwork and sportsmanship displayed this season,” said assistant coach David Gordon.