Gardena, CA — Dear Friends of the Gardena High School Boys’ Basketball Team: On March 3rd, the Gardena High School Boys’ Basketball Team is the 2016-2017 Los Angeles City Section Division 2 CIF Basketball Champions! We defeated Carson High School 64-52 at Roybal Learning Center. This was a tremendous achievement and rewarding experience for the young men on our team. These guys worked very hard all season and displayed excellent team work. I would like to briefly chronical our season for you. This success journey was a challenging one. Our team did not have a returning letterman from our 2015-16 that lost in the LA City Division 1 semi-finals. The team was made of players from our junior varsity/sophomore-freshman team, a 9th grader and transfers- (5) seniors, (5) juniors and one freshman. Here is a look back to our season in review…........ • Late November and December- we were struggling team trying to blend and mesh our skills, roles and personality together into a unit. • In January- one tournament, 2 non-league and Marine League games- we were more competitive, still tough losses. We could not hold on to the lead. • In February- Marine League games, closer loses. But we were very competitive. We finished 6-6 in league play. • The LA City Division 2 Playoffs: Defeated Verdugo Hills 61-48. Leading scorers- D. Alexander 26 points, D. Heard 11points Defeated King-Drew 74-55. Leading scorers- R Sanford 15, K. Pollard and M. Frankling 13 piece, D. Alexander 11. D. Heard suffered a concussion. L. Aaron filled in with 7 key points Semi-Finals- defeated Bernstein 77-74. We held them off. Leading scorers- D. Alexander 25, C. Releford 20, K. Brown 11 points/12 rebounds. D. Heard (DNP) - concussion protocol Championship Game- defeated Carson 64-52. We had a 20-point lead @ half. They came back. Again, we held them off. We had learned how to win! Leading scorers- D. Alexander 17, D. Heard 12, 10 points apiece for C. Releford & K. Pollard. Sometimes it just takes time to grow!! • The State Division 3 Playoffs: we lost to the eventual CA State Division 3 Runner-ups- Villa Park 71-63. Our overall record was 20-14. Eventually, we figured things out and became a pretty good team. Dominique Alexander, our senior point guard has been named the LA City Division 2 “Player of the Year” made the All-LA City team. The goals for our boys’ basketball team are centered around- the development of a strong and positive work ethic, fostering an environment of strong team play, and striving for academic excellence in the classroom. It is vision that these things will help provide a foundation for future successes into their adult lives. We are trying to raise funds for a lasting memento to our season “A Championship Ring” This ring will symbolize athletic success and provide a last memory for each of our players in the years to come. This would not be possible without your support. Your contribution is a tax-deductible donation. We are attempting to raise $2,700 in tax-deductible donations (15 rings @ about $190 per ring). Your contributions are deeply appreciated. Should you have any questions, please contact me at (310) 350-1195 or [email protected]. Thank you. Sincerely, Ernie Carr Head Coach Go Panthers!