The Culver City High School boys and girls 2024-25 basketball teams start their quest to be Ocean League Tournament champions this week when the eight-team tournaments begin on Thursday, January 30. The 20-5 Culver City High School boys will host Hawthorne at 6:30 p.m. and the 14-8 Lady Centaurs will host Inglewood at 5 p.m. Both games will be played at the Culver City High School gym on the high school campus.
Both the girls’ and boys’ teams took second place in their leagues and both teams are projected to advance to the Ocean League Tournament final on Wednesday, February 5, but first they must win two games to reach the final. The semifinals are on Monday, February 3. Both teams had league records of 6-1.
Other opening night games in the boy’s tournament will be third place Leuzinger against sixth place Lawndale, fourth place Santa Monica will battle fifth place Beverly Hills and the game between first place Inglewood and eighth place Centennial has been cancelled because Centennial decided to forfeit the game. So, Inglewood advances to the second round on Monday. At press time the girls’ bracket was not available.
“The tournament is win or go home,” said Culver City head boys’ basketball coach Ray Singleton in a telephone interview last weekend. “Hypothetically speaking I think even if we don’t win, I still feel confident that we will make the CIF playoffs.”
If they make the CIF playoffs Singleton knows they will have to improve in some areas if they expect to advance. “We need to work on the things that we preach in practice. Also, they can’t start thinking that they are better than they are. We can’t focus on our press clippings that are in the Culver City papers. We still have to stay humble and play basketball on the court and continue to do the tings that has helped us win 20 games.”
The girls’ team should also make the CIF playoffs even if they don’t win the Ocean League Tournament. “We are playing good basketball right now although we had that one league game slip up against Lawndale,” said Culver City head girls’ basketball coach Julian Anderson. “We are playing better since that last game against Lawndale. I would love to get that game back for sure.”
Anderson points to a holiday tournament after Christmas trip to Portland that helped his team become more united. “Trips always brings us closer together. That’s kind of what I am looking for when we go on trips to play in tournaments. We like to see new places. It kind of tightens the group up before we start league play.”
The girls are improving everyday according to Anderson. “From top to bottom we are doing really well. Players are contributing and we have a different leading scorer every other night. It’s a good mix of kids and skills. The main thing I like is to have everyone contribute. It’s not a one man show.”
When you watch the Lady Centaurs play it is definitely not a one girl show but two of the key players this season have been junior Makenna Lohmann and senior Londyn Jones. “Makenna is a quiet leader and Londyn will step up and pull the team together,” said Anderson. “We will go as far as Londyn takes us.”
Both coaches have strong family ties and Singleton and Anderson have very supportive wives and family members that are at every game cheering for the Culver City Centaurs.
To find out if the Centaurs advance and where they play contact Culver City High School at 310 842-4200.