CITY BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES : Girls’ 4-A : Westchester Wins Its First Title

Westchester High School, the No. 1 girls’ basketball team in the City throughout the season, won the 4-A championship Friday with a 56-34 victory over Washington of Los Angeles at the Sports Arena.

The Comets, who advanced to the state Division I playoffs next week with a 23-2 record, were led, as usual, by center Trisha Stafford and guard Tammy Story, both seniors. Stafford, an outstanding post player headed for the University of California, scored a game-high 22 points, while the USC-bound Story had 17 and was impressive on the boards.

Only four players scored for Westchester, which won its first City title, but forward Relinda Reed (10 points) was also in double figures.

Although sophomore guards Remitha Houston and Detra Lockhart had 12 points each for Washington, the number that stands out for the Generals is 2. As in their points during the fourth quarter.

Heading into the final eight minutes, Washington was still in the game, trailing, 41-32. But the Generals, who shot only 21.4% in the first half and yet were behind by just 30-21, made 1 of 20 field-goal attempts in the final quarter and were outscored, 15-2.

“If you only score 34 points, you’re cold a lot of times,” Washington Coach Phil Chase said. “But the fourth quarter is the quarter.”

Said Westchester Coach Beverlie Pendleton: “We’re very well conditioned, and they just tired out. Our girls run a lot.

“We started a little slower than we should have, but we soon worked it inside (to Stafford) and relaxed. We were then able to do what we wanted to do.”

Washington, which reached the quarterfinals last season and started over this season with an entirely new lineup, finished 14-11. Three of the losses were to Westchester, all by double-figure margins.

Westchester’s two losses came against Lynwood and Pasadena, both in the Morningside tournament.