Serra's girls basketball team has shown plenty of holiday spirit during the early portion of this basketball season by doing one simple thing.
Sharing.
The Cavaliers were in a cheerful mood again Tuesday night with four players scoring in double figures as Serra flexed its muscle with a 79-47 win over Peninsula in pool play of the Redondo Battle at the Beach at Redondo.
Sierra Thompson had 17 points to lead a Serra team that never led by less than 14 after halftime.
As has been the case for Serra (5-1) this season, the rest of the scoring came from a variety of sources. Rejane Verin added 13 points and Simone Thompson and DeAndrea Toler each had 12 points.
"I'm really proud of how we share the ball," Serra coach McKinsey Hadley said. "We have no superstars here. These girls like playing together. We're fortunate to have a lot of depth on this team."
Toler, a transfer from Morningside, used her speed and agility to slice through the Peninsula defense for points and pick up five steals on defense.
"Her speed is unmatched, I've never seen a player move that fast," Hadley said. "She's like a one-girl fast break."
While Serra's ball movement kept Peninsula (3-3) off balance, it was the Cavaliers' size inside that gave the Panthers the most trouble.
Rejane Verin, who is 6-foot-2, grabbed 10 rebounds to go with her 13 points. Tatiana Howard, who is 6-3, had eight points and 12 rebounds, and 5-10 Nicole Collins had seven points and 10 rebounds.
"We really go hard after rebounds," Verin said. "We've got a lot of new players, but we're playing well as a team so far this year. We're trying to get back to the state finals."
Tuesday's game was close early, but Serra went on an 11-2 run to pull away with an 11-point lead at the end of the first quarter.
The lead went to 15 at halftime and Serra led by as many as 34 points in the fourth quarter.
"We've really got a complete team right now," said Hadley, whose squad returns to Battle at the Beach pool play Friday. "We've got guards, bigs, length and versatility."
Peninsula's Stephanie Wong led all scorers with 20 points.
"They've got a very good basketball team over there," Peninsula coach Natalie Kelly said of Serra. "They've got size, athleticism and they're very disciplined. They're a tough team to match up with."
Hannah Bruno added 10 points for the Panthers.
Kelly said Tuesday's loss can be a learning experience for her squad.
"Anytime you get to play a team like that, it gives you a chance to get better," Kelly said. "There's a lot of little things we need to work on, but competition like this will help us get to where we need to be later this season."
Sharing.
The Cavaliers were in a cheerful mood again Tuesday night with four players scoring in double figures as Serra flexed its muscle with a 79-47 win over Peninsula in pool play of the Redondo Battle at the Beach at Redondo.
Sierra Thompson had 17 points to lead a Serra team that never led by less than 14 after halftime.
As has been the case for Serra (5-1) this season, the rest of the scoring came from a variety of sources. Rejane Verin added 13 points and Simone Thompson and DeAndrea Toler each had 12 points.
"I'm really proud of how we share the ball," Serra coach McKinsey Hadley said. "We have no superstars here. These girls like playing together. We're fortunate to have a lot of depth on this team."
Toler, a transfer from Morningside, used her speed and agility to slice through the Peninsula defense for points and pick up five steals on defense.
"Her speed is unmatched, I've never seen a player move that fast," Hadley said. "She's like a one-girl fast break."
While Serra's ball movement kept Peninsula (3-3) off balance, it was the Cavaliers' size inside that gave the Panthers the most trouble.
Rejane Verin, who is 6-foot-2, grabbed 10 rebounds to go with her 13 points. Tatiana Howard, who is 6-3, had eight points and 12 rebounds, and 5-10 Nicole Collins had seven points and 10 rebounds.
"We really go hard after rebounds," Verin said. "We've got a lot of new players, but we're playing well as a team so far this year. We're trying to get back to the state finals."
Tuesday's game was close early, but Serra went on an 11-2 run to pull away with an 11-point lead at the end of the first quarter.
The lead went to 15 at halftime and Serra led by as many as 34 points in the fourth quarter.
"We've really got a complete team right now," said Hadley, whose squad returns to Battle at the Beach pool play Friday. "We've got guards, bigs, length and versatility."
Peninsula's Stephanie Wong led all scorers with 20 points.
"They've got a very good basketball team over there," Peninsula coach Natalie Kelly said of Serra. "They've got size, athleticism and they're very disciplined. They're a tough team to match up with."
Hannah Bruno added 10 points for the Panthers.
Kelly said Tuesday's loss can be a learning experience for her squad.
"Anytime you get to play a team like that, it gives you a chance to get better," Kelly said. "There's a lot of little things we need to work on, but competition like this will help us get to where we need to be later this season."
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Source: Matt Lopez, Correspondent, Daily Breeze