Palisades Beats Crenshaw to Earn Shot at Narbonne

Harbor City Narbonne may be the overwhelming favorite to win the City Section girls’ basketball championship. But Palisades is the defending champion and the Dolphins showed Saturday that they are not ready to relinquish the title.

Using relentless pressure to force numerous turnovers, second-seeded Palisades easily advanced to the title game with a 78-47 victory over third-seeded Crenshaw at Los Angeles Southwest College.

Palisades (20-2) will play top-seeded Narbonne, a 69-44 winner Saturday over Chatsworth, for the City title Friday night at the Great Western Forum.

Senior guard Itricia Ewells scored 18 of her 22 points in the first half as Palisades took a 48-19 lead.

Tied 11-11, Ewells scored 10 consecutive points. April Freeney, who scored 19 points, made three-pointers to end the first quarter and begin the second.

Freeney’s buzzer-beating shot from behind the college three-point arc gave the Dolphins their 48-19 advantage.

Palisades held Crenshaw’s high-scoring Trilena Amos to 12 points. Yeashi Bacon led the Cougars (21-10) with 17 points.

Palisades center Melissa Henderson scored 18 points.