Playoffs Begin Well for Centaur Teams

The 2011 CIF playoffs got off to an exciting start for the Culver City High teams involved. The boys soccer team was the first to see action. They were involved in a Division 4 wild card game on the road Wednesday afternoon against the Glendale High Nitros.

The Centaurs came out of the gates on fire; the boys got two first half goals from their 2010-11 scoring leader Julien Prestridge and were able to take a 2-0 lead into halftime. The Centaurs also looked to have the upper hand when the Nitros’ starting goalkeeper James Mizuki went down with an ankle injury and did not return. The injury seemed to fuel Glendale, however, and in the second half the Nitros fought back and scored two goals of their own, both coming after the game’s 68th minute. The teams battled through two overtime periods without scoring a goal and the game ultimately came down to a shootout.

Like the two halves and two overtimes before, the shootout was dead even until Prestridge missed his attempted PK to the outside. That one goal was the difference and the Centaurs ended up losing a heartbreaker on penalty kicks, 2-2 (5-4).

Culver City fans attending the boys basketball team were a little less nervous. The boys put a thorough beating on Arlington High, 74-47. Head coach Jonathan Chapman said he wasn’t especially happy with the way his team played offensively, but admitted the result was “pretty good.” The game looked like it could be close in the first quarter, but once the Centaurs got going they were too athletic for the Mustangs.

Junior forward Aamahd Walker, who led all scorers with 24 points, essentially closed out the game when he broke away on a fast break and threw down a monster dunk in the second quarter. That made the score 30-12 and Culver City never looked back. The Centaurs will move on to the second round of the playoffs where they’ll play Bishop Montgomery. Chapman said that because they won a coin toss, the boys will be playing the game at home.

Leading off the Thursday games, the girls basketball team came up just short in their opening round playoff game against San Gabriel. The Matadors were able to capitalize on some key Culver City mistakes and pull out a victory in the fourth quarter. Culver City lost the game 43-40, putting an end to their season.

The girls soccer team was able to overcome a long-distance journey and advance in their opening round playoff game. Despite finishing the season with a 19-5-1 record, they had to travel to Summit, a small town just outside Santa Barbara, to play. Even after the long drive, the girls played very well and were able to post a convincing victory, 7-2. They got two goals apiece from senior forward Jennifer Mair and junior midfielder Lydia Chodosh.

The girls’ next game will be against Oaks Christian School from Westlake Village.