PaliHi Winter Sports Previews

Dolphins’ Basketball & Soccer Squads Start Seasons with Well-Defined Goals

Girls Basketball New coach Torino Johnson said his goal is to raise expectations for a program that reached its pinnacle in 1999 when it advanced to the state championship game in Sacramento. His first objective is to win the league championship, which would automatically take care of his second objective’qualifying for the City’s upper division playoffs. To return the Dolphins to their glory years of the late ’90s, Johnson has beefed up the schedule, starting with Palisades’ own Beach Invitational this week. He also has the team slated to play in the Nike and Best of the West tournaments prior to the start of league play. Johnson said the Dolphins are an older group but not necessarily experienced. Key returners include senior point guard Mariah Lyons, senior forward Tuekeha Huntley, junior guard Utopia Kates and junior forward Cinthia Hernandez. Center Dominique Scott will be a factor around the basket under Torino’s system, which stresses being disciplined and physical in the paint. The Dolphins’ varsity roster does not include a single underclassman, but includes three six-footers in Scott (6′ 2′), Huntley (6′ 0′) and junior post player Katie Bell (6′ 1′). The Palisades Beach Invitational has expanded from eight to 16 teams this year and Torino changed the format from pool play to bracket play, meaning teams must keep winning to advance to the finals. The Dolphins opened against Panorama on Wednesday (result unavailable at press time) and play either L.A. Jordan or Crossroads tonight at 7 p.m. Boys Basketball If any team in the City Section seems capable of challenging the ‘Big Three’ of Taft, Westchester and Fairfax, it is the Dolphins, who have 10 seniors and will look to improve upon last season’s 19-10 mark which saw Palisades fall one win short of a berth in the state playoffs. Point guard Taylor Shipley, a three-year starter, and guard Aaron Hawk-Harris, who made All-City last year despite missing half the season, will lead a Dolphins’ attack that also features hustling guard Brandon Greer and slick-shooting forward Irvin Kintaudi. As always, the Dolphins face a daunting schedule, beginning with four tough tournaments’Campbell Hall, Beverly Hills, San Fernando and Santa Barbara’and a nonleague game against Washington thrown in for good measure. Coach James Paleno, who began his 17th season one victory shy of 300, said the strength of his team is its work ethic and chemistry. His players have been in the program him for three or four years and know what to expect. Palisades is ranked No. 25 in Southern California in at least one poll and Paleno said that because of that other teams will be looking to knock them off. The Dolphins must win by out-executing and out-smarting their opponents. Over the summer, Palisades played and beat perennial powers Fremont and Loyola and lost by only two points to Westchester. The Dolphins played Hoover in the first round of the Campbell Hall Tournament on Wednesday (result unavailable at press time) and play West Adams Prep tonight at 6 p.m. and Arleta on Monday at 7:30 p.m. Girls Soccer The Dolphins won the City Invitational title at East L.A. College last season and are gunning for a repeat of sorts’except this time it is the City Championship they are after. Returning to lead Palisades’ attack are forwards Kelly Mickel, Rachel Furhman and Kate Rosenbaum’all of whom scored clutch goals in the playoffs. Though the squad loses three key players to graduation’defender Sarah McNees and forwards Sara Newman and Lauren Pugatch’it returns sophomore Erika Martin and junior Laura Goldsmith. Coach Kim Smith, who guided the Dolphins to the City finals three years ago, has been holding rigorous practices on the new field at Stadium by the Sea, preparing her girls for a run at the Western League title that eluded them in 2006. A stat the Dolphins will look to improve upon is turning ties into victories. Palisades lost only one league game a year ago yet finished third in the standings because of five ties. Once again keeping opposing strikers at bay will be goalie Allison Kappeyne, who posted eight shutouts last year, aided by defenders Brittany Johnson and Jazmyn Anderson. Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies was added to the Western League last season, joining Palisades, Westchester, Venice, L.A. Hamilton, L.A. University and Fairfax. Nonleague games looming early on Palisades’ schedule are Marymount and Notre Dame Academy, who play in the Southern Section’s Sunshine League. Boys Soccer The challenge facing Palisades will be finding a way to replace last year’s leading scorer Osbaldo Garcia, who netted 16 goals and added nine assists. Coach Dave Williams said the Dolphins may not quite have a player of Garcia’s unique ability, but may have four or five that are just a notch below. Senior striker David Linares and sophomore Alex Smith could emerge as potent scorers in the Dolphins’ offense, which could hinge on the continuing progress of center midfielder Sebastian Diaz and outside midfielder Michael Rey. Anchoring the defense will be senior sweeper and team captain Eric Rosen and goalie Charlie Bailey. The Dolphins also hope to reverse a disturbing trend: they have lost in the first round of the City playoffs 12 times in the previous 14 seasons, including a 3-2 overtime loss to Washington last year. Williams sees no reason his squad cannot win 10 league games, which would likely be enough to finish first and secure a high postseason seed. The team he is most concerned about is Fairfax, which has most of its players returning. With 46 players between varsity and JV, the question for Palisades will be whether increased numbers equate to a higher retention rate come grade time. Palisades opens the season today at Stadium by the Sea against San Pedro (varsity kickoff at 2:30 p.m.) and also hosts a intersectional game against Santa Monica December 7.