CHANGE IS IN THE AIR

Under new head coach, Reggie Morris, the Culver High Boys Varsity Basketball team started its 2017-18 season with a convincing win in the first round of the Trevor Ariza Tip-Off Tournament held in Westchester, CA.

The Centaurs' up-tempo offense and active, pressing defense was too much for the Lobos from Rancho Dominguez. The Centaurs came out energized and focused, as they took a 16-3 lead in the first quarter and never looked back, ultimately winning by 16 points, 78-62.

Senior Tevian Jones led the Centaurs with a triple-double 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Keith Dinwiddie added 18 points. Ryan Wiloughby sank 10 points (six in the fourth quarter). Senior Cyrus Johnson looks to be a force in the paint, blocking several Lobo shots, while scoring 8 points.

In a post-game interview, Coach Morris pointed out, "I liked the way the team played at the start, but, we need to stay focused and remain intense the whole 32 minutes of the game and not let down. We were real inconsistent. There were too many times they lacked focus."

When asked if there were players that stood out in his mind, coach quickly pointed out, "Tevian Jones played well throughout the game and that both, Kenzi Bishara and Keith Dinwiddie, came off the bench and contributed to the win."

After graduating 9 players last year, the Centaurs return only four players from last year's team: Junior Ryan Blackmond along with Seniors Brandon Libertore, Ryan Willoughby and Justin Schenk. Others making the team this year are Amyas Nojuko, Tsalta Wainwright, Christopher Zelaya, Tyler Wiley, Savonn Shawaver, Sam Chuck and Jaylen Cross.

Next up in the second round, the Centaurs will meet another local team, the St Bernard Vikings at the Westchester HS East Gym on Thursday @ 7:00 pm.