EJ Popoola slam dunks in the fourth quarter of the Dolphins’ 56-46 defeat to Pasadena in its last game of The Classic at Damien in La Verne.
Photo: Steve Galluzzo
By STEVE GALLUZZO
CTN Contributor
If Palisades High boys basketball coach Jeff Bryant could have three New Year’s wishes granted they would be: wins, health and a gym.
Victories have been hard to come by for the Dolphins this season, as injuries to key players and a brutal nonleague schedule have taken a toll through the first month and a half.
However, the second-year pilot remains confident that when the playoffs roll around his battle-tested squad will be ready. “It’s not about the Xs and Os, it’s about playing hard all four quarters,” Bryant said. “Losing sucks, but all of our goals are still in front of us.”
The Dolphins enter 2025 with a 3-9 record after dropping four straight games in the Gold Division of The Classic at Damien in La Verne the week after Christmas. Palisades wrapped up the tournament Tuesday morning with a 56-46 defeat to Pasadena at Ramona Middle School.
EJ Popoola and Phillip Reed netted 14 points apiece, Jack Levey had 10, Julian Cunningham had five and AJ Neale ended up scoring three. Popoola’s dunk sparked an 11-6 run that trimmed the Dolphins’ deficit to five midway through the fourth quarter, but they managed only four points over the last four minutes.
“Obviously the results aren’t what we want, but what we learned from this is that we can compete with every team we play,” Cunningham said. “It seems like every game a player scores 30 against us, so we need to guard better. We have the pieces…now we just have to put them all together.”
Phil Reed dribbles around a Pasadena player to start a fast break in Saturday’s Gold Division consolation game of The Classic at Damien.
Photo: Steve Galluzzo
That has been one of the biggest challenges for Bryant, who has had to deal with a changing roster but hopes it will be stabilized by 12:30 p.m. Saturday when his team meets Bishop Montgomery in the Real Run Showcase at Morningside High in Inglewood. OJ Popoola, EJ’s twin brother, is expected to return to the lineup.
“Julian was out at the beginning of the year and OJ has been out the last six games but he should be available Saturday,” Bryant said. “We haven’t been healthy plus we’re playing a top schedule… that’s not a good combination.”
Palisades was the preseason favorite in the LA City Section and after opening with three straight defeats to highly-ranked Southern Section teams, Palisades beat Venice in its Western League opener before a 2-2 mark at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas from December 19-23. The Dolphins lost to San Gabriel Academy, Mayfair and California (in overtime) in the first three rounds at Damien.
“In all the games but today we’ve been ahead,” Bryant said. “We’re a great first quarter team, but we need to keep our foot on the gas and play all four quarters. EJ and Jack have been our scoring leaders but we need other guys to step up.”
The Dolphins’ outside shooting has been inconsistent, prompting post players like Cunningham to call for the ball more in the paint.
“The more we lose I have to start not being so nice,” the 6-11 junior center from Vancouver said. “I’m a willing passer but if we run a play and score on it twice we should run it a third time. We all have to trust that the ball will come to us. Jack [Levey] and I are the only two who stayed after the coaching change [in May 2024] and we trust Coach Bryant.”
Bryant is hopeful his team, which has been practicing off campus all winter, will benefit from a little home cooking in the near future.
“We’re supposed to be back [at Palisades] January 19 for the second semester,” Bryant said. “In the meantime it’s about our chemistry, ball movement and toughness.”
League play resumes January 8 against LACES.
Head coach Jeff Bryant is trying to right the ship after a slow start to the 2025-26 season. The Dolphins finished 0-4 in The Classic at Damien.
Photo: Steve Galluzzo
Meanwhile, the girls squad is off to a 6-4 start under first-year coach and Palisades basketball alum LeBre Merritt. The Dolphins resume league action January 12 at Fairfax. Palisades and Westchester are expected to battle for first place.