Comets Refuse to Tail Off

Westchester knew it was coming in the second half, the only question was when.

The Comets had held high-scoring Lakewood Artesia forward Jason Kapono scoreless in the first half of the Division I championship game of the Southern California regional and were expecting him to lead a charge by the Pioneers. Kapono came alive as anticipated, but Westchester proved it could win a close game as well as a blowout with a 61-60 victory Saturday night before 3,000 at Pauley Pavilion.

Top-seeded Westchester (29-3) advances to the state championship game, where the Comets will play Alameda St. Joseph, a 57-50 winner Saturday over Vallejo, next Saturday at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

“When we got up by eight at one point, I thought we were going to blow them out like we did with most of the teams we’ve played this year,” said Westchester guard Brandon Granville, who scored eight points and made two free throws with seven seconds left for the winning points. “But they hung in there. Kapono got them back in it. He led by example.”

Kapono, a 6-7 swingman who is one of the top juniors in the nation, scored 14 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter--10 in the final 4:02.

“They were keying on me, but I was just a complete mess in the first half,” said Kapono, who made two free throws with 13 seconds left to give Artesia its first lead, 60-59. “The coaches told me at halftime to step up and do what I’ve been doing all season. I gave it my best, but my best wasn’t good enough tonight.”

After Kapono’s free throws, Granville drove the length of the court and was fouled by Jack Martinez.

Westchester did not have the victory secured until Artesia sophomore Andre Hazel missed a shot in the lane off a drive with three seconds left. The ball was tipped twice in a scramble and the buzzer sounded, sending the Comets to the state final.

Westchester is seeking its first state title and the 11th by a City Section team since 1982. Crenshaw has won a record eight state championships and Carson and Manual Arts have one each.

Artesia finished the season 32-2--its only losses coming against Westchester. The Pioneers lost to the Comets, 61-51, in the championship game of a tournament in December.

“It was a great season,” said Artesia Coach Wayne Merino, whose teams won Division II state titles in 1990, ’92 and ’93. “I thought we played tremendous.”

Tony Bland led Westchester with 13 points and Albert Miller and Chris Osborne each added 10 for the Comets.

Martinez, a freshman forward, scored a team-high 18 points for Artesia.

Westchester forward David Bluthenthal gave the Comets a 54-46 lead with 4:59 left with a three-point play and two free throws on consecutive possessions that capped a 9-1 run.

Kapono led the Pioneers back with a jumper, two free throws, a turnaround jumper from the baseline and three-point basket from the corner. Jamal O’Quinn tied the score, 57-57, with two free throws with 2:01 left.

“We made the big shots when we had to and proved we could win the close one,” Bland said. “Now we’re going to try to win the whole thing.”