Defending Bay League co-champion Mira Costa will begin its girls basketball season Monday under first-year head coach John Lapham.
Lapham as been the Mustang’s junior varsity head coach for the past two seasons and will get a good look at his team when it competes in the 10th annual Inglewood Holiday Tip-Off Classic.
Joining Lapham’s coaching staff will be former Mustang Keri Stephanoff, who played on Mira Costa’s 2007-08 team that reached the state finals.
Mira Costa is replacing eight seniors from last year’s squad that finished 19-10. The Mustangs will be led by three returning starters at the guard position: Bay League co-MVP Camille Mills, Haley Tojo and Keilani Ikehara.
A fourth starter, co-captain Shaylyn Austin is expected to miss most of the season after suffering a knee injury.
“We hope to have a strong year,” Lapham said. “We do have several other returning seniors, all wing players, who will all contribute a lot this season:  co-captain Michelle Lanterman, Alison Bartak, Claudia Fellows and Shannon Savino. Beyond this core group of seniors, we have a talented group of four juniors and three freshmen on the varsity roster and we are hoping to play 10-12 deep in most games.”
Games during the Inglewood Holiday Tip-Off Classic will be played at Inglewood, St. Mary and Culver CityHigh Schools with Mira Costa competing in Pool A in the Elite Division along with El Camino Real, St. Monica and Venice.
Pool B consists of St. Bernard, Inglewood, Animo LA and El Segundo, teams competing in Pool C are West Torrance, Carson, Beverly Hills and Leuzinger while Pool D action involves Culver City, Peninsula, Laces and Frederick Douglass.
Mira Costa opens pool play against St. Bernard at 4:30 p.m. Monday at Inglewood. On Tuesday at 6 p.m., the Mustangs take on Venice at Culver City. Mira Costa will play El Camino Real on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
Semifinal games will be played Friday, Nov. 29 with consolation and championship games held on Saturday, Nov. 30.
Redondo Union’s girls basketball team begins its season at home hosting the Battle at the VIII tournament beginning on Monday, Dec. 2.
Each of the 16 participating teams reached the postseason last year with 10 winning 20 or more games. Serra is the defending CIF Southern Section Division 4A and State Division 4 champion and Windward won the Division 4AA title and was runner-up in the State Open Division tournament.
Redondo head coach Marcelo Enriquez has 11 returning players from last year’s team that went 19-13 and reached the CIF Division 2A semifinals before falling to eventual champion Murrieta Valley 60-56. The Sea Hawks advanced the State Division 2 championships but lost in the first round.
Redondo opens the Battle at the Beach tournament with a 3:30 p.m. game against Marlborough on Monday, Dec. 2. Other first-round games that day included Mater Dei-Long Beach Wilson, Bishop Montgomery-West Torrance, Inglewood-JSerra, Millikan-St. Bernard, Windward-Carson, Troy-Torrance and Serra-Peninsula.
Action continues throughout the week culminating with the championship game on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m.
