Youth Basketball: Anderson, a Force to be reckoned with

NEWPORT BEACH - The Force, a co-ed basketball team made up of

second- and third-graders at Andersen Elementary, played like their

nickname this summer.

They earned a 5-2 record in Newport Beach’s Youth Summer Hoops program

and the Force also developed their fundamentals at the Eastbluff Boys and

Girls Club, where coaches Melissa Scharfe and Sara Gorman issued lessons.

The coaches used metaphors, trying to make the practice drills fun.

One drill, “Bologna Sandwich,” had the player trying to be the bologna

between the opponent and the basket, which were the slices of bread in

the sandwich.

One of only two girls on a co-ed team can apparently be quite a

challenge.

“At first, the boys wouldn’t pass to us,” Force player Erin Almaraz

said. “But by the end of the season, they were passing to us a lot.”

The Force also included John Pastre, Brennan Anderson, Miles

Patricola, Bruce Bearer, Matt Livingston, Matthew English, Sarah

Sutherland and Alex Carlis.