Westchester, Fairfax Again

Westchester High players walked sullenly off the court Saturday night after polishing off a game but overmatched Fremont team, 83-63, in a City Section boys’ basketball semifinal before a capacity crowd at Los Angeles Southwest College.

Perhaps that’s because the Comets realized the difficulty of the task ahead. For the fourth time this season, Westchester will play Western League rival Fairfax. And this time, the stakes will be higher than ever.

Top-seeded Westchester (27-2) will attempt to win its third consecutive City title when it plays second-seeded Fairfax (29-3) Saturday at the Forum. The Comets have won two of three meetings against the Lions this season, but Fairfax prevailed, 66-62, when the teams last played.

“We aren’t going to underestimate them again,” vowed Westchester guard Brandon Heath, who came off the bench to score 15 points against fifth-seeded Fremont. “Last time, we weren’t focused and didn’t play defense like before [in the previous victories].”

The Comets were so focused against the Pathfinders (22-6) that they forced turnovers on Fremont’s first two possessions, forcing Coach Sam Sullivan to use a timeout. The Pathfinders rallied from a 13-point first-quarter deficit to tie the score at 26 on Josh Arnold’s three-point play midway through the second quarter.

But Fremont fell apart after being outscored, 7-0, to end the first half.

Westchester’s Trevor Ariza led all scorers with 18 points and Ashanti Cook added 15 as every Comet starter scored in double figures.

Shelvion Williams scored 13 of his team-high 15 points in the fourth quarter for Fremont.

Fairfax 68, Dorsey 59--Evan Burns’ back-to-back three-point baskets midway through the third quarter turned a slim lead into an 11-point bulge that proved insurmountable as the second-seeded Lions advanced to their first City final since 1999.

Third-seeded Dorsey (19-7) kept the game tight early as Gary Hamilton and Donald Wilson dominated the interior and LeBoise Gladden knocked down jump shots. The Dons trailed by three points at halftime after Fairfax’s Fernando Sampson nailed a three-pointer just before the buzzer.

Then the Lions (29-3) came out in the third quarter and converted four three-pointers, three by Burns, en route to building a 15-point lead.

Burns, practically invisible on offense during the first half, was sprung for open looks in the third quarter thanks to Fairfax’s improved ball movement.

The 6-foot-8 senior made another three-pointer in the fourth quarter and finished with 15 points.

Wilson scored 12 of his team-high 14 points in the first half for Dorsey, which drew no closer than nine points in the fourth quarter. Gladden had 13 points.

Kevin Bell scored 15 and Alex Bausley added 14 for Fairfax, which seeks its first City championship since 1987.