Pali High Basketball Teams Triumph

Expectations are sky high for the girls basketball team this season. Not only are the Dolphins pursuing a second consecutive L.A. City Section Division II title, they want a state championship to boot.

The first task at hand, though, is defending their crown at the eighth annual and Coach Torino Johnson's squad got off to an impressive start with Tuesday's 57-37 victory over Marlborough. The Dolphins raced to a 20-2 lead in the first quarter and built a 39-14 lead by halftime.

"I think it was pretty good for our first time out," said senior point guard Ashlie Bruner, who led Palisades with 15 points, seven steals, five rebounds and five assists. "It was exciting. There was a little of the first game jitters, but this [tournament] is really important because it sets the tempo for our whole season."

Senior center Donae Moguel also had 15 points along with 12 rebounds and three steals and Skai Thompson added 14 points, four steals and two assists. Asia Smith, Hayley Hutt and Kylie Mizushima each had three points while Kylie Bethel and Hannah Akmal rounded out the scoring with two apiece.

"I always get nervous before games so this was nothing new," Moguel said. "We were just running our offense but Ashlie was getting me the ball a lot. We want to repeat in City and win state, but this is our tournament and it's important to defend our own turf."

Johnson has seen every game of the tournament so far and is pleased with the high level of play. He particularly enjoyed Monday's games pitting Gahr against El Camino Real and Carson against Sylmar, a last-minute replacement for Locke.

"I'm looking for consistency and we were erratic," Johnson said of the Dolphins' 20-point win. "I don't want the players looking at scores and judging off that. It's more important how we play. This is only the first game, so it's going to get better. We will improve if we just stick to our game."

Next up for the Dolphins is Carson, the reigning City Section Division I champion. The teams met in the tournament final last season, with the Dolphins prevailing 60-55.

Boys Basketball

Coach James Paleno's squad also opened its season with a lopsided victory Tuesday night, routing Torrance 70-40 in the first round of the at Redondo Union High.

Senior co-captain Donovan Johnson, who has signed with Cal State Northridge, showed why he was named last season by scoring 31 points in the win.

Palisades takes on host Redondo in the quarterfinals Thursday (tip-off at 8 p.m.). The Sea Hawks edged Bakersfield 63-60 in the first round. Rounding out the tournament field are Fairfax, Loyola, Westchester, Dominguez, Long Beach Poly, Bishop Montgomery, Mayfair, Harvard-Westlake, Hawthorne, Pacific Hills, Santa Monica and Compton.   

PALISADES BEACH INVITATIONAL

Monday's First-Round Scores

Gahr 55, El Camino 46
Sierra Canyon 69, Westchester 15
Carson 59, Sylmar 35
La Salle 67, Marymount 54

Tuesday's First-Round Scores

Palisades 57, Marlborough 37
Culver City 54, Campbell Hall 49
Esperanza 50, Calabasas 8
Palos Verdes  55, St. Monica 51

Wednesday's Schedule

Consolation Bracket

Marlborough vs Sylmar, 2:15 p.m.
Marymount vs Calabasas, 3:45 p.m.
Westchester vs El Camino, 5:15 p.m.

Winner's  Bracket

Palisades vs. Carson, 6:45 p.m.
Sierra Canyon vs. Gahr, 8:15 p.m.