Boys’ basketball: It’s nearly Westchester-Fairfax time
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Here’s a scary thought for the rest of the City Section heading into Friday’s showdown between Westchester and Fairfax: The Western League rivals might be even better than they were last year.
‘I got to see them play once and I think they’re a better team than they were a year ago,’ Fairfax Coach Harvey Kitani said of Westchester. ‘But I’d like to think that we’re a better team too than a year ago.’
Fairfax, ranked No. 5 in the Southland by The Times, won two of three meetings against No. 2 Westchester last season, including a come-from-behind, 55-53 victory in a City semifinal in which center Renardo Sidney scored 11 consecutive points late in the game for the Lions.
‘That’s a fun game to be in,’ Sidney said. ‘If you don’t come with your ‘A’ game, you’ll get shown up and there will be a lot of trash-talking.’
Westchester, whose only loss was to Winter Park (Fla.) in the City of Palms Classic before Christmas, is playing as well as anyone in the Southland.
‘I’d say that we’re probably as good or better than last season,’ Comets Coach Ed Azzam said.
Not that the best team always wins in this rivalry.
‘It doesn’t matter who the people think is the better team, the kids get out there and it brings the best out of everyone,’ Kitani said. ‘Hopefully, it’s going to be the first of three or four’ meetings this season.
‘It’s a game that you learn to really appreciate because there aren’t too many teams that get the opportunity to play this kind of high-level, action-packed, intense game in mid-January and then come back and do it gain two or three weeks later. It’s a real fun game.’
Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies Coach Ernest Basketville, whose team has played both Western League rivals, said Fairfax has the advantage in the post and Westchester has the edge on the wing.
‘Westchester’s defense guard-wise is much better, but [Fairfax] has that interior post play,’ Baskerville said. ‘It’s going to be Westchester’s guards against their bigs.’
--Ben Bolch