Westchester High Boys’ Team Will Try to Repeat Its Title Feat

Westchester High boys’ basketball Coach Ed Azzam believes the Comets will bring their game to a higher level when they meet Crenshaw for the L.A. City Section 4-A Division title on Friday night at the L.A. Sports Arena.

“It’s a team that’s definitely getting better,” Azzam said. “We’re a team that’s peaking and I think we still have a way to go. We’re 26-2, but in some of those games we didn’t play that well. Right now we’re playing as well as we have all season.”

The Comets, defending City 4-A champions, have been especially sharp since the start of the playoffs last week. They opened with an 82-63 win over Granada Hills, beat Taft, 76-62, in the quarterfinals and Manual Arts, 79-60, in the semifinals on Tuesday.

“I knew we had a good team all along but we still had to play well to get to this point,” Azzam said. “I was hoping that we would play like this when the playoffs started and we’re just playing outstanding basketball.”

Azzam said the main factor in Westchester’s success has been its unselfishness.

“We don’t have one guy averaging 20 points a game,” he said. “We have (three) guys averaging in double figures and we could easily have more than one guy scoring (more than) 20. But these players are more concerned about the team than their (scoring) averages.”

The Comets have been led on offense by forward Lorenzo Ball, who averages 14.9 points. Guards James Gray averages 14.4 points and Jason Sanders averages 10.3.

Azzam also credits the Comets’ defense.

“We’ve been playing that way all year long,” Azzam said. “But against Manual Arts, I don’t think they had any open shots the whole game. We’re just not letting teams get any easy baskets.”

Azzam believes Westchester is a better all-around team this season.

“Last year’s team had some liabilities,” he said. “It peaked at the right time but it wasn’t a very good passing team or as good of a shooting team. We’ve been good defensively both seasons but our passing and our shooting has improved this season.”

Azzam said the Comets are also deeper this season. One of the reserves, guard Maurice Robinson, scored 14 points against Manual Arts.

“We had four guys in foul trouble against Manual Arts and we didn’t get hurt from using our bench,” Azzam said. “We can go deep into our bench with no problem.”

Crenshaw (19-4), a perennial City power, advanced to the final with a 94-80 victory over Carson on Tuesday.

Azzam is concerned about Crenshaw’s potent fast break.

“Crenshaw is a team that presses and zones a lot and we have to be able to handle the press,” he said. “We have to control the tempo so it’s not a full-scale running game.”

But Azzam is optimistic about the Comets’ chances because of the manner in which they have played.

“I couldn’t be happier with these guys,” he said. “Their enthusiasm has been really good and they’re a great team to work with.”

The Westchester-Crenshaw game starts at 8:30 p.m.

Two South Bay boys’ basketball teams have also reached the finals in the Southern Section.

Top-seeded Morningside (20-6) will meet second-seeded Estancia (23-6) in the III-AA Division final at 11:15 a.m. Saturday at the Sports Arena. Surprising Serra (14-15) will meet Crossroads (18-7) in the IV-A final at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Santa Monica College.

It is the second season in a row in which Morningside has reached a Southern Section final. The Monarchs lost to Servite, 49-46, in the III-A final last season.

But Morningside avenged that defeat with a 63-59 victory Tuesday over the Friars. The Monarchs have been led by junior guard Stais Boseman and Donminic Ellison.

Serra’s success has been a surprise because the Cavaliers finished the regular season with a 10-15 record and tied for fourth with St. Anthony in the Camino Real League. But the Camino Real is considered one of the strongest leagues in the Southern Section.

The Cavaliers have been led by guard Dan Carpenter, but inside players such as center Akeli Jackson and forwards Michael Boyd and Arthur Tate have become factors in recent games.

Jackson, a 6-foot-7 junior who was ineligible to play until Jan. 31 because of academic problems, scored 26 points in a 75-59 victory over L.A. Baptist on Tuesday.