There’s no settling for average or ordinary this basketball season for Redondo Union coach Reggie Morris Jr. He has high expectations, and when several of his starters didn’t come out performing on Tuesday, he quickly pulled them.
“We try to develop good habits,” Morris said.
The Sea Hawks (4-0), ranked No. 3 in the Southland by The Times, responded with a blitz that indicated his players got the message. Chace Holley finished with 20 points and SJ Madison had 19 in an 89-37 win over Laguna Hills as part of the Redondo Union tournament.
The Sea Hawks lost twice to Sierra Canyon and twice to Open Division champion Eastvale Roosevelt in hard-fought games last season. They were close to winning but unable to pull through in the biggest moments. This season, Morris is training his team to be prepared to beat the Southern Section’s best.
“We still have a lot of room for improvement,” he said. “We have a chance to be real good.”
Full-court pressure defense and lots of speed and athleticism will make Redondo Union perhaps the main challenger to Sierra Canyon this season. There’s not much height but Morris hopes to make up for that with aggressiveness and hustle. That’s why his players were warned early on Tuesday that if you don’t perform, there’s a spot on the bench and opportunity for others.
Morris has won titles at Leuzinger, St. Bernard, Redondo Union and Fairfax. He knows what’s needed to reach the top.
Santa Margarita 66, Loyola 55: Kaiden Bailey scored 18 points, Drew Anderson 17 and Brayden Kyman 15 for the unbeaten Eagles (7-0). Loyola trailed by 13 points at halftime and closed to within five points in the third quarter. Mattai Carter finished with 16 points.
Windward 65, Long Beach Poly 57: The Wildcats rallied for the victory at Redondo Union. Davey Harris scored 24 points, Jordan Hamption 22 and freshman Tyler Yeargin chipped in with nine points. Jonas Oware had 18 points for Poly.
Harvard-Westlake 56, La Mirada 47: Cole Holden led the Wolverines with 15 points.
Royal 65, St. Monica 56: Lucas Markland led Royal with 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Thousand Oaks 73, Milken 54: Dylan McCord made seven threes and finished with 36 points for the Lancers.
Servite 81, Cypress 78: The Friars (7-1) received 28 points from Jake Schutt in a home victory.
Holy Martyrs 74, Viewpoint 60: Solomon Clanton had 22 points for Viewpoint.
Girls basketball
Sierra Canyon 78, San Clemente 38: Emilia Krstevski scored 18 points and sophomore Cherri Hatter added 16 points in a Troy tournament game.
Glendora 66, Indian Springs 28: Glendora improved to 6-0. Reagan Herrmann scored 22 points and freshman Remy Caine had 19 points.
Ontario Christian 89, Moreno Valley 43: Kaleena Smith scored 27 points with nine assists and Tatianna Griffin had 26 points for Ontario Christian.
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