Westchester High Uses 20-1 Run to Defeat Carson, 78-64

With a roster full of underclassmen, many South Bay basketball observers believed the best was yet to come for the Westchester High boys’ team.

But on Wednesday night, the Comets proved the future is now.

Using quickness, height and a bench that simply would not quit, Westchester defeated host Carson, 78-64, in a City 4-A Division quarterfinal game.

With the victory, Westchester (20-7) advances to play Crenshaw Friday night. Carson finishes 16-10.

The Comets took control early and led, 20-17, after a quarter and 40-33 at halftime. But a 20-1 run to close the third quarter secured the victory.

“The key in any sport, and especially in high school sports, is to play hard,” Westchester Coach Ed Azzam said. “If you play hard, things are going to happen--and usually they’re good things.”

After slogging through the first half, Carson came alive by scoring the first six points of the second half to close to 40-39 with 7:03 remaining. But the Colts could not find the range for the next six minutes and Westchester forged an insurmountable 60-40 advantage.

Although each team’s starters seemed evenly matched, the Comets had more bench strength. Whenever Carson initiated a mini-run, Azzam pulled another wide body off his bench.

“They had too much depth and too much size,” Carson Coach Richard Masson said. “They wore us down. They were too physical for us. And, not only did they have physical players at those positions, they were talented, too.”

Carson’s Rudy Washington had a game-high 23 points and teammate Justin Evans added 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Westchester had four players score in double figures with 6-8 senior center LeRoi O’Brien leading the way with 18 points.