Westchester Is Stating Its Case

The Comets are still streaking toward Sacramento--barely.

After nearly dissipating during a near-disastrous fourth-quarter stretch in which it lost a 13-point lead, Westchester High pulled itself together over the last three minutes for a 66-60 victory over Long Beach Poly in the Southern California Regional Division I boys’ basketball championship game Saturday night at Long Beach Arena.

Brandon Heath’s three-point basket from the corner with 1:40 to play put the top-seeded Comets (31-2) back ahead for good after the second-seeded Jackrabbits (30-4) used a 14-0 run to take a 57-56 lead.

“I felt I had to hit that shot because I had just turned the ball over twice,” said Heath, who capped the victory with a breakaway dunk. “I needed to make up for it.”

Westchester will play Oakland Tech, a 65-61 overtime winner over Concord De La Salle in the Northern California Regional final, for the state title at 8 p.m. Saturday at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

Carlos Rivers, who finished with a career-best 25 points, scored nine consecutive points to open Poly’s late push after the Comets had taken a seemingly insurmountable 56-43 lead early in the fourth quarter.

After Rivers made a three-pointer to cut Westchester’s lead to 56-52, Reggie Butler scored on a layup and Mike Roche completed a three-point play to put the Jackrabbits ahead for the first time since they led, 11-10, in the first quarter.

But after Heath’s three-pointer, Trevor Ariza made a free throw and Ashanti Cook scored on a memorable shake-and-bake drive to the basket to give Westchester a 62-57 lead.

Poly’s Bobby Jones sank a three-pointer from the wing to make it 62-60, but Hassan Adams hit two free throws and Ariza swatted away a shot by Rivers to put the game away.

“This team hasn’t had a lot of close games,” Westchester Coach Ed Azzam said, “but in the close games we have shown a lot of character.”

Brandon Bowman and Heath each had 17 points and Adams scored 13 for the Comets, who are seeking their second state title after winning in 1998.

Jones scored 12 points and Butler had 10 for Poly, which could not establish superiority inside with its three 6-foot-7 players.

Marcedes Lewis, a UCLA-bound tight end who had been a key component of the Jackrabbits’ march to the final, scored only two points.

Lewis fouled out with more than four minutes remaining in the game.