Granville, Westchester Victorious

Westchester High’s basketball team is nicknamed the Comets, a fitting moniker for a squad that features point guard Brandon Granville.

As he has done throughout this season, Granville blazed up and down the court with style and composure Friday night against Manual Arts in the City Section 4-A championship game.

And it was Granville who keyed an 18-0 third-quarter run that paced Westchester to a 78-62 victory before 5,000 at the Sports Arena.

Granville, who transferred to Westchester from Playa del Rey St. Bernard, helped turn the Comets’ 34-33 lead into a 52-33 advantage with 2:30 left in the third quarter.

Manual Arts fought back valiantly, but never got to within less than six points in suffering their third loss to the Comets this season.

“That’s been our game all year--we get up and down the court,” Granville said. “The third quarter has been ours all year. This is so sweet.”

Westchester (26-3), ranked second in the state, was making its second consecutive appearance in the 4-A final. Last year, the Comets lost to Crenshaw, 87-70.

But when Granville transferred in from St. Bernard, and forwards David Bluthenthal and Chris Osborne arrived from Venice and Fairfax, respectively, the Comets were regarded as the overwhelming favorite to win the City, and possibly, state championship.

Westchester and Manual Arts will compete in the eight-team Southern California regional of the state tournament on Tuesday. The winner of the regional advances to the finals March 20-21 at Sacramento.

“We came out hungry because this was our last year to win City,” said Westchester senior Albert Miller, who scored 16 points. “Brandon is a key because he gets everyone organized and gets everyone in their place on the court. He gets us there.”

Indeed.

After Miller made a shot to give Westchester a 36-33 lead early in the third quarter, Granville on consecutive possessions:

* Went coast to coast for a lay-up, then made a free throw after he was fouled.

* Dribbled the length of the court and dished to Miller, who made a lay-up and free throw to complete a three-point play.

* Stole a pass, sliced through the Manual Arts defense to the middle of the key and passed off to Bluthenthal for a lay-up.

Tony Bland made a short jumper the next time down the court and Westchester led, 46-33.

Bland, who will attend Syracuse next year, led Westchester scorers with 26 points. Bluthenthal added 12 and Granville had 10 for the top-seeded Comets, who also defeated Locke, Palisades and five-time defending 4-A champion Crenshaw to reach the championship game.

Forward Ricky Duff scored 12 points and Brandon Moore and Thomas Spain each had 10 for sixth-seeded Manual Arts (25-5), who defeated Cleveland, Washington and Fremont en route to the championship game.

The score was 32-29 at halftime after both teams put together scoring bursts that kept the game close.

Westchester appeared to pick up where it left off in its 93-78 semifinal victory over Crenshaw when it jumped to a 6-0 lead. With his future USC teammates in the stands, Bluthenthal opened the scoring with a basket and Bland added two free throws and a jumper for four of his eight first-quarter points.

Manual Arts senior forward Thomas Spain put the Toilers on the board with a three-point basket three minutes into the game. Cuentin Witherspoon made two free throws with less than a minute left in the quarter that pulled the Toilers to within 14-13 heading into the second quarter.