by John Tawa
Members of the 1999-2000 Redondo Union girls' basketball team scarcely knew how to dribble when "The Streak" began in 1991. Their rivals at Peninsula High School have won 94 consecutive Bay League games.
Sea Hawk players were confident that they would be the ones to end "The Streak" when they stepped onto the court at Peninsula to face the Panthers last Wednesday. This was the game that would define their season, the one they talked about incessantly before fall practice even began.
During an October interview for a story on Redondo tennis, sophomore singles player Ofa Tulikihihifo couldn't help mentioning the upcoming basketball season.
"January the fifth at Peninsula, we're going to end the streak," she told an Easy Reader reporter. "You have to be there."
During the pre-game warm-ups, a buzz of excitement filled the crowded gym. Mike Wilson, a bespectacled, flaxen-haired man, sat behind the Redondo bench watching his daughter, freshman guard Ashley Wilson, during lay-up drills. His face was painted red and white.
"It's showing support for the girls," he said, obviously nervous. "They've got a great team this year. We're hoping for a victory. This is a tough team."
The Sea Hawks (11-4) are quick and talented but they are also very young. Only one senior and two juniors are in their line-up. Three sophomores and four freshmen, the best freshman class coach Marcelo Enriquez has ever had, round out the team.
Redondo's starting five took the court for the opening tip. Senior Stephanie Wong is the team's primary ball handler and top three-point shooter. She is joined in the backcourt by the freshman Wilson, a heady and fearless competitor with wisdom beyond her years, and wing player Jennifer Owens, a graceful player with a scorer's mentality. Tulikihihifo, an amazing combination of speed and strength, and junior Jasmine Arjasbi, a tough post player, man the frontcourt.
The Sea Hawks struggled in their half-court offense at the start of the game. Peninsula meanwhile played like a team with a streak to protect, forging an early lead behind six points from Marissa Artiano.
Midway through the first quarter, Redondo substituted speedy junior forward Jackie Packard, playing in her first game since suffering a severe ankle sprain Dec. 9, and statuesque 6-1 freshman center Danielle Payne. The moves paid immediate dividends, as Packard scored a lay-up on a nice in-bounds play and then fed Payne inside for a deuce.
Trailing 10-7 after one, Owens scored the first basket of the second quarter on a smooth baseline drive and 10-foot-shot, but Artiano responded for the Panthers with four straight points. Peninsula's lead was 16-9 before Owens answered with a bucket after a nice pass from freshman point guard Allison Bretana.
The rest of the half saw both teams struggle. Peninsula couldn't find anyone to shoot the ball when Artiano took a seat with two fouls halfway through the quarter. Meanwhile, Redondo's shots couldn't find the bottom of the hole. Wong, the team's leading scorer, struggled mightily, finishing the half 0-for-7 from the field. Only a baseline drive by Wilson for two, which pulled the Hawks to within 17-13 at halftime, brought the Redondo crowd to its feet.
Redondo showed a spark in the third quarter, working harder offensively to attack the basket. It paid off early, when Tulikihihifo rebounded an Owens miss for a lay-up. A driving lay-up by Tulikihihifo pulled Redondo to within three, but an Artiano hoop extended the Panther lead to 23-18 with three minutes left in the quarter.
It was the last basket Peninsula would score for the next eight minutes.
Trying all night to pull even, the Hawks finally got the job done late in the third, when Wilson fed forward Krista Areyan, who converted a three-point play. Moments later, Areyan followed a miss with another hoop to give Redondo the lead.
"I'm glad to do well for my dad," Areyan said after the game. She and three teammates had written the letters "LA" on their shoulders to honor Krista's father Lou Areyan, the prominent Redondo youth league coach who died last year.
With Redondo leading 25-23, the fourth quarter was Tulikihihifo time. She took a feed from Wilson for a lay-up. She and then rebounded a missed shot and went coast-to-coast with a great dribble drive for a hoop to extend the lead to 29-23.
With Redondo in a 2-3 zone, a Tulikihihifo steal and lay-up preceded another Tulikihihifo steal and 15-foot runner from Wilson. The Sea Hawk lead was 10.
Redondo extended the lead to 39-23. Four more points from Tulikihihifo and a Packard drive put an exclamation mark on the 21-point Redondo run.
When the final horn sounded, the score was Redondo 44, Peninsula 30.
Pandemonium ensued. The Sea Hawks lifted Wong high into the air in celebration. In the stands, Redondo softball star Amanda Rivera waved a sign saying "Peninsula 94-1."
The king is dead.
"I've been waiting for this day for a long, long time," says Wong, who was held scoreless, but contributed with key steals and tough defense. "It doesn't really matter if I score or not, because a win is a win."
"It made our whole year," Packard adds. "We worked four years for that game. We knew we were better from the start. In the first half, we didn't come out strong on our defense. In the second half, we picked it up."
"Last year it was Morningside," says Enriquez, referring to defeating the Monarchs for the first time during his tenure last year. "This year it's Peninsula. This is a big stepping stone for us. We're taking one big dog down at a time."
Enriquez reserved special praise for Tulikihihifo, who finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds and five steals.
"We needed a spark and the spark was Ofa," Enriquez says. "She just played outstanding in that second half."
"If you don't think about how tired you are, you can pick up your play to a new level," Tulikihihifo explained. "It gives us so much faith that we can win the league."
Redondo continued its winning ways Friday, leading virtually the entire game and upending Morningside 67-56. Tulikihihifo had another outstanding game, with 26 points, while Packard, Wong and Owens combined for 33 more. A dominating win over South Torrance on Monday improved Redondo's Bay League record to 3-0.
The season may be young, but the Sea Hawks are growing up in a hurry. A Bay League title is within their grasp. ER