Last Friday night, the Torrance Tartars went against the South Spartans on the road in their first rivalry matchup of the season. The game ended in a tough loss for Torrance, with the Spartans winning 50-46.
Some of our top performers for the Tartars were senior Cain Hawkins with 10 points and 4 rebounds, senior Cash Correa with 8 points and 4 rebounds, and juniors Elias Emerson and Zechariah Nichols with 6 points and 3 rebounds.
It was a difficult game against a strong opponent; the boys gave it their all, fighting until the last second. Shooting guard Zechariah Nichols expressed, “I think we executed our plays well, but they really watched their film and analyzed everything we did.” Nichols recently transferred to Torrance this year and has been a team leader in steals, averaging 2.3 steals per game.
The game remained close on the scoreboard and in possession of the ball. The crowd was packed on both sides, both student sections cheering on their school nonstop. The first quarter ended in a 9-9 tie.
In the second half, the Spartans led 23-22. Both teams were constantly trading buckets and defensive stops, but eventually South came out on top. Returning from half-time, the score still remained tight, and the third quarter ended 34-38. The Spartans were capable of maintaining an edge throughout the second half and the game ended with South’s win.
Reflecting on the loss, the Tartars found some areas for improvement. “We could have run better plays on offense,” Captain Shane Stanfield said, “I don’t think we ran our things the way they should have been run to get easy baskets.” Stanfield was recently named athlete of the week in the Daily Breeze. He currently has 112 points, averaging 14 points a game.
It was an intense, hard-fought game, and although the outcome was disappointing, it will be a learning lesson for the Tartars. This “reality check,” Stanfield said, will build the team’s experience as they continue to accomplish their goal of winning a league title.
