The Culver City Centaur's (17-4) hosted the Beverly Hills Normans(14-5) in a early showdown for first place in the Ocean League. Both teams came into the contest 4-0 in league, having faced all of their other league opponents already. The Centaurs were ranked 97th in the state, while the Normans were 146th. Both teams had their moments in the first quarter with the Norman's sophomore guard Arbri Gillis shining as one of the most outstanding players on the court. Gillis was cool under pressure and easily sunk 3 pointers when unguarded and could drive to the basket as well, knowing just how to lay it up off the glass even with her modest size/height. The Centaurs used a full court trap defense a lot early in the contest and it gave them enough positive results to keep them in the contest at 13-13 after 1 quarter.
- While Gillis was a multi-talented player and star for the Normans, her supporting cast consisted of several players who had a particular strength that they were able to take advantage of. One player was a speedy attacker who was capable of & wanting to take it to the basket on most every possession. While Gillis was the main outside shooter, senior Megan Saghian showed that she could also sink the 3 pointer on more than one occasion. And sophomore center Cheyanne Moawad was a force near the basket putting in several buckets on offensive rebounds. Another was a sniper at the free-throw line. This combination of Gillis and her role players allowed the Normans to take the lead at 22-16 at the half. The Centaurs struggled to solve the chemistry of success that the Normans had mixed up falling behind 38-29 after 3 quarters.
- The Centaurs were in need of a spark and senior guard Haley Yamamoto provided it with two 3 point daggers close in time to each other that brought the Centaurs to within 5. With the Centaur girls confidence restored, they returned to an aggressive style of play that challenged every potential Norman's rebound and pass. Good offensive and defensive efforts were provided by senior guard Lauren Jones. Senior Angel Morris, junior Heaven Cooper and sophomore Leah Howard provided the aggressive front court for the Centaurs that fought for every rebound and any attempt to pass the ball inside. Junior Alyse Hayes and sophomore Junie Dickson provided some additional offensive firepower while Hayes also helped handle the ball and Dickson shined as a defender. This Centaur chemistry exploded with success in the fourth quarter and they came roaring back to tie the game at 42 with 2:38 to play. The rest of the game went right down to the wire with the Centaurs leading 48-46 with 13.4 seconds left, but the Normans had posession of the ball and one last chance to steal the victory. The Centaur girls defensive skills stopped the final Normans attack and Culver won 48-46.
- This should secure at least a tie for the league championship between the Normans & the Centaurs unless either team has a brain fart against the next most worthy opponent, the Santa Monica Vikings. If everything goes as is likely, if the Centaurs want to win the title outright, they will have to do it on the home court of Beverly Hills in the last game of the regular season.
