Then and Now

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

When Demonnie Lagway walked into the Palisades High gym for a workout last week she received a warm welcome in the form of hugs and high fives—a tribute to the legacy she left at her alma mater.

In four seasons on the varsity basktball team she helped the Dolphins win three City Section titles and a Southern California Regional crown.

Lagway just completed her sophomore season at Cal State Fullerton,

where played in 30 games (starting 10), averaging 16.3 minutes and 5.5 points per contest. The 5-foot-10 combo guard also grabbed 62 rebounds, dished out 30 assists and had 21 steals. She tallied a career-high 15 points against UC Santa Barbara on March 2 for the Titans, who finished 10-20 overall and 6-14 in the Big West Conference.

Last Wednesday, Pali High boys coach and girls assistant LeBre Merritt, himself a proud Pali High alum, put Lagway through a rigorous training session that included a series of shooting, dribbling and screening drills.

“The biggest differences from high school to college were physicality and the speed of the game,” said Lagway, who was the Western League MVP and shared City Player of the Year honors with teammate Alexis Pettis as a junior at Palisades and earned All-City and All-State honors as a sophomore as well. “Also, the adjustments during the game.”

Lagway saw action in 29 games at Fullerton last winter, averaging 2.7 points and one rebound and was named to the All-Big West Freshman Team. One of her biggest thrills that season came in a 64-55 nonconference victory over Pepperdine and fellow Palisades alum Jane Nwaba, who just completed her senior season with the Waves.

“It was good to see Jane,” added Lagway, who made the All-City team after leading the Dolphins to the City Open Division semifinals her senior year. “We’ve both come a long way.”

Lagway is pursuing a degree in marketing and business and models her game after James Harden. Her success on the hardwood comes despite not having taken up the sport since seventh grade. She played club for West Coast Elite and her favorite movie is, fittingly, Love & Basketball.

Lagway was a freshman and Nwaba was a senior in 2018-19 when the Dolphins defeated Carson in overtime in the City Division I final, then advanced to the SoCal Regional finals. The next season, Palisades beat league rival Hamilton to win the City Open Division and won the regional title and in 2021 the Dolphins beat Hamilton again for the City Open title.