Redondo upsets Narbonne for third-place in Ryse Williams Pacific Shores tournament
Redondo senior forward Quinn Collins scored 35 points in the final two games of the Ryse Williams Pacific Shores Tournament. Photo
By Paul Teetor
When Redondo forced Santa Margarita into a turnover with 25 seconds left in Friday night’s semifinal game of the Ryse Williams Pac Shores Tournament, the Sea Hawks were trailing by only three points at 60-57. Now they suddenly had an opportunity that looked impossible just a few minutes ago, when they trailed by nine points with less than two minutes remaining.
Coach Ali Parvaz immediately called a timeout and gathered his team around him to plot the strategy that would get them an open three-point shot that could potentially tie the game and send it to overtime.
Everyone in the packed, screaming gym – including USC Basketball Coach Andy Enfield, who was sitting courtside – knew the ball was likely to end up in the hands of Zekiah LoVett, Redondo’s star guard who had already rung up 19 points and drilled a high-arching 30-footer just a couple minutes earlier to keep hope alive for the Sea Hawks.
But Parvaz did not want to inbound the ball directly to LoVett because Santa Margarita’s defense had been keying on him all night long and he had struggled late in the game with getting a shot off the dribble.
Instead Parvaz called for a double pick that would free up LoVett for a catch-and-shoot three-pointer from the right wing. But Redondo’s players suffered what Parvaz called a “mis-communication” and threw the ball out of bounds while waiting for LoVett to come around the double screen and flash open. The home crowd groaned as they watched Redondo’s last chance to pull off an incredible upset roll harmlessly over the sideline.
A victory would have propelled them into the finals of their own tournament, newly named after their star of the last four years who suddenly died from a rare form of cancer five months ago. It was not to be, but still there was a feeling of accomplishment in the air despite being on the wrong end of the final score of 64-57.
After all, Santa Margarita had a decided height advantage at every position except center, and had at least two players – 6-foot-8 guard Max Agbonkpolo and 6-foot-7 forward Jake Kyman – being looked at as possible recruits by USC. So, Santa Margarita was heavily favored for good reason.
Parvaz – like most coaches – hates the phrase “a good loss.”
Still, he had to admit that coming within one turnover of having a shot at the Final game on Saturday night was more than he could have hoped for a week ago. It was a tournament that started out with 16 teams and featured several highly ranked squads like Westchester, Dominguez, Narbonne, Inglewood and of course Santa Margarita. To be one of the final four was something he was proud of.
“If you had told me before the tournament started that we would make it all the way to the semis and have a good shot at going to the finals, I would have been happy,” he admitted afterward. “But now that we’re actually here, this loss does hurt.”
Parvaz, who was coaching only his third game as Redondo’s new head coach, saw many positives that convinced him his first season is going to be a success – even by Redondo’s recent standards, which includes a state championship just five years ago and deep playoff runs every year, including a loss in the CIF Southern Section Finals two years ago.
First and foremost among those encouraging signs was the emergence of 6-foot-8 center Quinn Collins as a viable option on offense to help take some of the pressure off LoVett. For the last two years Collins, a skinny senior with a huge wingspan, has been primarily responsible for cleaning up the boards and intimidating penetrators who got too close to the Redondo rim. His offense consisted mainly of lay-ups and stick-backs.
But Friday night the Hawks frequently dumped the ball into Collins on the low block and let him go to work. He hit a couple of short jumpers, a turnaround hook shot and even a deep outside shot that looked like a trifecta but was recorded as a two-pointer because his foot was on the line. He finished with 19 points to match LoVett for game-high honors and also pulled down 12 boards.
“We’ve seen bits and pieces of Quinn doing that in practice, but this was the first time he’s been able to put it together for a full game,” Parvaz said. “Santa Margarita was taking away our first option, but he was able to come through for us.”
So, despite the tough loss, Redondo (3-1) heads into its tough non-league schedule – which includes the uber-competitive Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas (Dec. 20-23) and the Damien Classic in LaVerne (Dec. 26-30) – with a winning record and great expectations.
“Our players play hard and play for each other,” Parvaz said. “I really think we have a chance to be a very good team.”
And they proved him right by beating a favored Narbonne team 69-67 Saturday night in the third-place consolation game. The Sea Hawks, who held a 12-point lead late in the third quarter, staved off the Gaucho’s rally for a 69-67 victory.
Collins recorded 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. LoVett scored 14 points and Winfrey added 12.
Westchester beat Santa Margarita 64-49 for the championship.
Contact: teetor.paul@gmail.com
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