Walker Lifts Westchester to a Big Win : Prep basketball: Comet sophomore guard scores 27 points in 14-point victory over Inglewood.

The rematch against Inglewood High was no match for the Westchester basketball team Thursday night in the championship of the Artesia Holiday Classic at Artesia High.

Danny Walker scored 27 points to lift the Comets to a 69-56 victory. The 6-foot-1 sophomore also had five three-point baskets and was selected the tournament’s most valuable player.

Westchester defeated Inglewood, 80-62, in a nonleague game Dec. 11 to hand the Sentinels their only loss. Since the defeat, Inglewood (12-2) had won seven games in a row.

Ben Sanders and Jason Hart were also selected to the all-tournament team for Westchester (13-3).

Sanders and Hart scored 12 points each to help the Comets to their second tournament title and ninth victory in a row. Westchester also won the Las Vegas Holiday Classic Dec. 23.

“We proved our first victory wasn’t a fluke,” said Walker, who had 28 points in the first game against Inglewood. “We proved winning the Las Vegas tournament wasn’t a fluke. We showed we are contenders for the City (4-A Division) title.”

Inglewood, which trailed by 12 points in the first half, closed to within 36-33 early in the third quarter. But the Comets used a 14-2 run to extend a 51-45 lead after three quarters to 65-49 with 3 minutes 7 seconds to play.

“Both games were similar and both victories were hard,” Westchester Coach Ed Azzam said.

Paul Pierce had 24 points for Inglewood and was named to the all-tournament team along with teammate Sam Turks. Pierce, a 6-5 junior, had 11 of Inglewood’s 13 points in the fourth quarter.

Walker scored 14 points, making three three-point baskets to help the Comets take a 22-13 advantage after the first quarter and opened a 28-15 lead with 7:01 left in the second quarter.

The Sentinels outscored the Comets, 7-2, in the final 3:12 of the first half to close to 36-31 on a free throw by Pierce with 22 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

Dominguez 81, Serra 55--Ricky Price scored a game-high 28 points, but was the lone player to score in double figures for Serra (5-8).

The 6-6 guard had 17 first-half points and scored 11 of Serra’s first 15 points. The Duke-bound senior was also named to the all-touranment team.

Tremaine Lassiter had eight points and five rebounds and Dajuan Sweed had five assists for the Cavaliers.

Serra scored 10 of the last 14 points of the first half to trim a 14-point second-quarter deficit to 39-31 at halftime.

The Cavaliers, however, were limited to one field goal in the first 5:59 of the third quarter as Dominguez (11-2), which led from the start, opened a 55-35 advantage.