The Culver City High School boys basketball team will need two victories this week to have a legitimate chance of making the CIF Playoffs that start next week. They played Hawthorne on Tuesday and travel to first place Beverly Hills on Thursday at 6 p.m. Last week the Centaurs lost to Santa Monica, 69-55, and Inglewood, 62-48.
Culver City is in fifth place with a record of 11-13 overall and 2-6 in the Ocean League. If the Centaurs win their last two games of the regular season, and Morningside loses one or two games this week Culver City will either move ahead of Morningside or tie the Monarchs for fourth place.
If they expect to win their games this week they will need to make shots in the fourth quarter. Several times this year the Centaurs have taken quarters off during close games. They either come out slow or end the game with a bad fourth quarter.
Against Inglewood on Friday Culver City scored only three points in the fourth quarter and 13 points in the second half.
“Offensively is where we lost the game,” said Culver City head coach Adam Eskridge. “Offensively we could not find the right flow, but you have to credit Inglewood’s defense.”
One bright spot was Culver City’s defensive effort.
“The last time we played them they scored 80 points against us so I was proud of our defensive and rebounding effort,” said Eskridge. “We also need to make our free throws late in the game.”
Making key baskets and free throws have been a problem for Culver City all year. “We are a good team when four players score in double figures,” said Eskridge. Against Inglewood Chris Edwards led the Centaur’s with 16 points. Armani Nicolis had 14 but Culver City’s other top scorers, Wesley Dixon and Isaac Girley, combined for only eight points.
“All we have to do is keep playing hard and we can win these close games,” said Edwards. “We need to work hard this week in practice and we will be okay. We also need to keep the ball moving on offense, and someone will pop open.”