Coach Mike Martin’s Palisades-Based Program Is Taking Southern California Youth Basketball Community by Storm

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

A blossoming youth basketball program is the talk of the town in Pacific Palisades: SoCal FIERCE. Headed by former collegiate and pro player Mike Martin, it is a comprehensive program offering high-level training, travel teams and mentorship for boys and girls ages 8 to 17, preparing them for success on and off the court.

Established in January 2021, FIERCE aims to raise the bar in the areas of athletic training, I.Q. development and coaching.

“Our mission statement is to advance student athletes in a safe  and positive learning environment so they can achieve their long-term improvement goals,” Martin explained. “We envision a future as leaders in youth basketball, creating opportunities for all aspiring athletes to thrive on the court, in the classroom and in life.”

The FIERCE approach has six tenets: F—Fundamentals; I—I.Q.; E—Effort; R—Repetition; C— Camaraderie; and E—Energy.

“We exist to provide an elevated sports experience that helps young athletes develop their love and respect for the game,” Martin added. “Through progressive coaching and our curriculum, we teach the game in a way that strengthens each player’s individual abilities while fostering the team’s success as fearless competitors. Cultivating a complete player begins with unlocking untapped potential. As players grow, they discover the meaningful connections between basketball and countless other opportunities and we emphasize preparing our kids for success at the high school level and personal growth beyond the court.”

“My job is to make sure our FIERCE athletes reap all the benefits of my years of experience as a professional athlete and coach.”

Practices are held at Palisades Lutheran Church and the program is full of local players.

In early October, SoCal FIERCE won the Sol Fall Hoops Fest in San Diego, beating a team from Arizona in the finals. Later that month, FIERCE’s squad of Palisadian boys won the 13U Gold championship at Sports Academy.

In December, FIERCE took part in the inaugural Holiday Ball at Da Vinci School in El Segundo and played a fill-court game against the LA Kings. FIERCE prevailed 68-50 with a roster full of Palisadians: guards Shiloh Unger (Corpus Christi), Sam Gibson (St. Matthew’s), Max Konecke (Paul Revere), James Cook (Windward) and Will Horowitz (Windward); and forwards Max Miller (St. Matthew’s), Rowan O’Donnell (Corpus Christi) and Eli McCune (Paul Revere). Other local athletes in the program include William Reierson, Davis Kripk and Tate Jennison. The winter season starts in early December and ends March 1. For more information or to join the program, email Martin at socalfierceball@gmail.com.

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Every soccer player dreams of scoring the game-winning goal for their team and Diego Zambronna got his chance to be the hero December 30 in the championship match of the South East Winter Classic at Los Angeles City College.

Palisades led Paramount 4-3 heading into the final round of penalty kicks, meaning Zambronna could clinch the win by converting his kick from the penalty spot 12 yards from goal. He did just that, drilling the ball by the Pirates’ diving goalkeeper to set off a wild celebration. Teammates rushed the field to congratulate the star of the night, but the victory was a team effort as the Dolphins’ first four shooters also made their kicks and junior goalkeeper Dodge Drageset lunged to his left to make a critical save in the third round to pave the way for Palisades’ 5-3 shootout victory. It was vindication for returning players who remember being bounced out of the tournament by Fremont in the semifinals  last season at Gahr. This time, they would not be denied.

The Dolphins opened pool play in the 32-team bracket by shutting out Camino Nuevo 6-0 and Bernstein 3-0 on Dec. 26.  The next day saw the Dolphins defeat Jefferson 1-0 and outscore Hawkins 4-1 to advance to the quarterfinals. There, Palisades edged Marshall 1-0 to advance to the semifinals Dec. 28 against tournament host South East. Hudson Weinberger scored late in the first half to tie the game 1-1 and he buried his penalty kick moments before teammate Max Bedolla netted the deciding goal in a 3-1 shootout win that earned the Dolphins a spot in the final against a Pirates side riding a seven-game unbeaten streak and coming off an impressive 2-0 semifinal triumph over Lakewood.

Palisades got on the scoreboard first when it was awarded a penalty kick after a foul in the box and Weinberger blasted home the try early in the first half. Paramount pressed for the equalizer and finaly capitalized with four minutes left in regulation. Neither team could find the net again before the final whistle and the score remained 1-1 going to a shootout.

There was no All-Tournament team but if there had been one, Weinberger surely would have been the Most Valuable Player. He paced the Dolphins with nine goals in seven games, several of them coming at key stages. 

On Monday, the Dolphins returned home to beat Bell 4-1—giving them eight wins in a row since a 5-0 setback at City favorite Birmingham on Dec. 13. Under new head coach Josh Figueroa, who took the reins from Marvin Lemus, Palisades is getting healthy and is ready to make a run at its second City title, having won its only section crown in 2016 under former pilot Dave Suarez, now the school’s boys and girls golf coach.     

Palisades lost its Western League opener to Fairfax 2-0 on Dec. 4 at Stadium by the Sea but rebounded to blank Hamilton 4-0 two days later.

The Dolphins went 8-0-4 in league last season and made it to the City Division I quarterfinals, losing to El Camino Real 2-1 in overtime. The Royals then upset top-seeded Granada Hills before losing to West Valley League rival Birmingham 2-0 in the City Division I final at Valley College.     

The Palisades Strikers, an AYSO Region 69 Extra team, finished second out of 41 teams in the U11 BX playoffs, which covers most of Southern California. It was an amazing run for the Strikers, who were seeded eighth and a wild card for the two-week tournament in La Habra in December.

Consisting of Cabe Talt, Dylan Morrow, Tate Dore, Merritt Levin, Wesley Hom, Josh Ahdoot, Owen Tyler, Jace Hansen, Isaac Soppe and Stephen Sandbo and guided by co-coaches by Jenny Morrow and Taylor Talt, the Strikers qualified for the State Cup.

The local squad advanced to the quarterfinals of the knockout round and edged prevously-undefeated Culver City, 2-1. In the semifinal round, the Strikers took on Aliso Viejo and trailed 2-1 at halftime before rallying for two late goals to win 2-1 and earn a spot in the Champions Cup final against rival Santa Monica.

Though the Strikers lost they enjoyed a magical fall they will not soon forget, ending up as the No. 2 team in Southern California.   

Palisades High basketball alum Demonnie Lagway is having a stellar junior season at Cal State Fullerton. The 5-10 junior guard has started all 14 games for the Titans and is tied for second on the squad with 128 points, an average of 9.1 per contest.

She also has 40 rebounds, 23 assists, 10 steals and three blocks heading into tonight’s Big West matchup with UC Davis.

Lagway played in 30 games as a sophomore, averaging 16 minutes and 5.5 points. She saw action in 29 games her freshman year, averaging 2.7 points and one rebound, and was named to the All-Big West Freshman Team. She is pursuing a degree in marketing and business.

A 2022 Pali High graduate, Lagway helped the Dolphins claim three City titles and a Southern California Regional title. She was Western League MVP and shared City Player of the Year honors with teammate Alexis Pettis as a junior in 2020-21.     

Palisades High’s girls soccer team is off to one of its best starts in years under head coach Christian Chambers and after opening with six straight victories the Dolphins  were shut out 2-0 by Granada Hills last Saturday at Stadium by the Sea, both goals coming in the first half.    

The teams had not faced each other since the Highlanders won in a shootout in the City Division I final at Valley College in 2020. Palisades has lost in the semifinals each of the last four seasons­­—two times to El Camino Real and twice to Cleveland, both rivals of Granada Hills in the West Valley League. The Dolphins outscored their first six opponents 39-2.

Following a season-opening rout of Larchmont Charter when Mae Durkin and Harper Given each had three goals and three assists and CeCe Tierney added two goals and two assists, Mechal Green had two goals and an assist in a 7-0 league win at Fairfax. Green had a goal and four assists  the next day in a 6-1 home victory over Taft and scored three times in a 6-0 league triumph at Hamilton on Dec. 6. Maya Hively scored off an assist by Green in the first half for the only goal and goalkeeper Maria Knierim stood tall in net in a nonleague affair versus visiting Birmingham one week later.

On Friday, captain Leila Jafari had three goals and Green added a goal and three assists as Palisades defeated GALA 7-1 on home turf.           

Green entered Wednesday’s league contest at Westchester with a team-high eight goals and 10 assists, Jafari and Harper Given had six goals apiece and Stella Robinson had five.

Knierim and fellow goalie Scarlett Bocaccio each had four saves.

The season winner of the annual Palisadian-Post Football Contest was decided on the final week as Andre Rhames prevailed via the tiebreaker, correctly predicting the Seahawks would defeat the Rams  and the teams would score a combined 54 points. Seattle won 30-25 on Sunday, the last day of the NFL regular season. It was fifth time in 18 weeks that Rhames won the pool, making him this year’s champion. He also won in Weeks 2, 5, 15 and 16. Richard Olsen won four times (Weeks 1, 3, 11 and 13 to finish second and Tom Zaret was third with three wins (Weeks 8, 9 and 17). Charles Ryan and James Ryan each won twice while Eamon Rowe and Griffin Rowe each one once. More than 40 people participated in this year’s contest, sponsored by The Yogurt Shoppe. There were no perfect scores this season, but Griffin Rowe (Wk 14) and Rhames Wk 16) came close with nine out of 10 correct picks. Below is a list of week-by-week winners:

LiveBall started in 1995 on the courts at the Palisades Tennis Center and tennis pro Mike Tomas, who took charge of the public facillity at the Palisades Recreation Center in 2017, celebrated the 30-year anniversary by organizing a Challengers LiveBall tournament last Saturday.

The event featured draws for players in three skill levels (3.0, 3.5 and 4.0), with winners of each division receiving tennis bags and gear. At noon was a coaching exhibition and championship rounds began 30 minutes later.

“It was great,” Tomas stated. “People were raving about what a great time they had. We’ve come a long way and we’re planning to do a few more of these as we continue celebrating three decades here at the birthplace of LiveBall, which began with [then-owner] Steve Bellamy at Pali Park.”

After lots of rallies and points, Wil LaFayette and Christine were declared 3.0 champions, Stacey Smiley and Kelly Nielson won the 3.5 division and Damon Judah and Matt Cohen took the 4.0 title.

Pali High Boys and Girls Basketball Teams Show Potential in Holiday Tournaments

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

The Palisades High boys and girls basketball teams open Western League play this week and both squads are well prepared to contend for first place after participating in tough tournamnents over Winter Break.

The boys finished 3-1 in the Winter Slam Jam, overcoming a seven-point halftime deficit to beat Yeshiva 48-44 at Agoura. Mikal Sims led the way with 15 points and Eli Levi added nine. The next night, Jack Levey’s two-point jumper at the buzzer lifted the Dolphins over El Camino Real 55-54 at Grant. Tommy Pickens had 15 points, Kye Davis had 10, Levey had eight and Aten Hassan and Eli Levi each add six.

In the semifinals against Saugus in Santa Clarita, Pickens scored 16, Hassan and Levey each had 10, Levi had nine, Sims had eight, Davis had six and Devin Carey had three  but the Centurions prevailed 64-62 on a driving layup at the buzzer by Bryce Mejia. Palisades closed the tournament on a high note by outscoring Granada Hills 61-52. Pickens scores 17 points while Levey and Hassan added 10 apiece.

Next up was the SoCal Christmas Classic in Pasadena and Pickens  impressed in the first game, pouring in 30 points as Palisades defeated Crescenta Valley 74-61. Davis had 12, Sims had 11 points, four rebounds and four assists and Levey added 10 points and five rebounds. Alemany got the winning layup with two seconds left to nip the Dolphins 54-52 in the second round of the Platinum Division but one day later Palisades bounced back with a 58-49 triumph over Maranatha. Levey and Sims scored 12 apiece, Pickens had 10 and Carey and Julian Cunningham each added eight. In their final game of the tournament the Dolphins beat Grant 58-47, paced by Levey’s 19 points and six assists, Aten Hassan’s 10 points and eight rebounds and 10 more from Davis.

In its last tune-up before league, Palisades fell to Saugus 61-48 despite   13 points each by Levey and Pickens. At 8-5 entering Monday’s league opener versus University, the Dolphins look like an Open Division team under new coach Jeff Bryant.

Meanwhile, the girls entered league with a 5-6 record after placing fifth at their Westside Classic in early December, going 1-1 at the Burroughs Showcase in Burbank and finishing 1-2 at the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions, losing to Valencia and Buena before topping Oaks Christian 58-47 behind Elly Tierney (22 points) and Alyssa Ramirez (13 points and five steals). Tierney lit up the scoreboard again Saturday, netting a season-high 28 points in a 77-55 rout of Chatsworth at Fairfax. Olivia Lewis had 12 points on four 3-pointers, Ramirez scored 11 points and Ayla Teegardin contributed 10 points and six steals for the Dolphins (5-6), who will battle with Westchester and Hamilton for the league title.

The PGA TOUR returns to Los Angeles and greatness will be unleashed on the greens when the Genesis Invitational is held February 13-16 at historic Riviera Country Club. Tournament host Tiger Woods welcomes an elite field of golfers to the iconic venue where legacies are defined, legends are born and the stars shine brightest. The event begins with a Collegiate Showcase Feb. 10, followed by practice rounds the next day and a Pro-Am presented by Bang & Olufsen on Feb. 12.   

Round One is Feb. 13 and, weather permitting, the final round will be Sunday, Feb. 16. Tickets are on sale now on the tournament website (genesisinvitational.com/tickets/).

Hideki Matsuyama lifted the trophy and pocketed $4 million after winning by three strokes last year, firing a sizzling 62 in the final round to overcome a six-shot deficit and finish at 17 under par for his 18th  professional victory worldwide and first since a playoff win at the Sony Open in Hawaii in 2022. Luke List and Will Zalatoris tied for second, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele tied for fourth and Woods had to withdraw during the second round because of flu-like symptoms.

After setting a school single-season record for goals and winning the Post Cup Award as the outstanding senior athlete at Palisades High last spring, Erica Hamilton showed she can put the ball in the back of the net at the next level too.

Hamilton, a freshman forward on the women’s soccer squad at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, played in all 17 games this season and paced the Scots in shots (28), goals (5), assists (3) and points (13). She tallied two goals and one assist in a 5-0 victory over Crown College on Sept. 4.

Hamilton racked up a total of 66 goals in 49 games in her three-year Pali High career.