With the holidays in the rearview mirror, the Mission Bay basketball teams have entered league play.
The boys, under head coach Marshawn Cherry, entered this week at 14-3, ranked No. 1 in San Diego County and 12th in California. Mission Bay opened play in the Western League with its first win over St. Augustine in seven years.
In holiday tournaments, the Bucs lost in the finals of the Corona Centennial Battle ZONE Tournament, won the Sweetwater Holiday Classic, and came in third place at the national Torrey Pines Holiday Classic. Rejean (Boogie) Ellis is averaging 26 points per game. Meantime, Ronnie Latting has come into his own and is dominating in the paint and on the boards, while Jaymarree Norton has been good as the team’s second-leading scorer all year. Michael Barcia, Savaugh Davis and Andre Scott have also played well and made big plays of late, according to Cherry.
“Our Bucs just want to prove to ourselves and everyone else that we can play with the top programs in the county and take Mission Bay to another level,” Cherry said. “To win league, we will have to grow up and stay locked in.” Girls basketball
The girls entered the week at 2-8 overall, with a 0-2 mark in league play. In recent action, Mission Bay fell at Monte Vista 46-39. The Bucs are slated to face Crawford High at home this Friday evening.
New to the varsity team, Josie Lavalle, Victoria Tapia, Leilani Maanao Maci Grenfell, Maya Jessee have all stepped up and have played well during the holiday stretch.
“We played a close game against a tough Madison team, losing 44-33, as well as a tough loss to Monte Vista in the tournament this past weekend, losing 46-39,” said head coach Vince Ichihara. “Our leaders Natalie Mcdermott and Brooklyn Grooms have done a great job taking charge. Gwen Lundstrom has also been a great addition in leading on the court with her play along with the defense of Maddie and Kenzie Grooms.”
“We have a lot of young players and are still growing and getting better each time out. We finally have our full team back and expect to keep fighting and getting better each time we are out on the floor,” Ichihara said.
