Michael Gray’s 44 Points Lead Cleveland to Title

Cleveland High, paced by forward Michael Gray’s 44 points, won the 20th annual L.A. Games men’s basketball championship Sunday with a 93-85 victory over Dorsey at El Camino College.

Gray was named the tournament’s most valuable player. The 6-foot senior sank seven three-point shots in the first-ever high school competition to use the 19-foot 9-inch shot. Dorsey’s Marcus Nash, a 6-foot-3 senior guard, led the Dons with 32 points.

Cleveland handled Dorsey with ease through the first three quarters. The Dons pulled even, 74-74, on guard Anthony Thomas’ three-pointer with five minutes remaining, but both teams were in penalty situations, and the Cavaliers converted free throws in the closing seconds.

Cleveland trounced Santa Monica, 63-46, in Sunday’s first semifinal. Dorsey beat Crenshaw, last year’s champion, in the other semifinal, 62-47.

The L.A. Games basketball tournament, involving 128 teams, is the largest of its kind in the country. The Games, formerly called the Watts-Summer Games, began after the 1965 Watts riots in an attempt to bring young people together.