Photo by John Napalan/Art O’Neill
Last season was a mixed bag for the Lakewood girls’ basketball team and coach Eric Oswell.
On the one hand, the team finished third in the Moore League with a 15-10 overall record, falling to Poly and Millikan in decisive fashion. On the other hand, third place was a step up for the Lancers, and they proved they had some of the best talent in the area thanks to the breakout junior campaign of Asia Jordan, who won Moore League Player of the Year honors with some eye-popping stat lines.
Jordan, who averaged 18.5 points and 15.7 rebounds per game, is back for her senior campaign, along with eight other players.
“We have nine seniors on the team this year that all want to play and end their careers holding nothing back,” said Oswell.
Jordan is the headliner, but far from the only talent on the Lancers’ roster. Samantha Tolentino is back after battling back from an injury last season, and Ara Burkhalter is a returning second team All-Moore League player as well.
“We understand that nothing in life worth having comes easy and we’ll only achieve what we are willing to work for,” said Oswell.
LONG BEACH GIRLS’ BASKETBALL PREVIEW
Photo by John Napalan/Art O’Neill It’s shaping up to be a special girls’ basketball season in Long Beach, with three teams making appearances in the CIF Southern Section rankings to start the year as well as the reigning Moore League Player of the Year and more than half of last year’s first team
