Whittier Is Upset by Dominguez

There can be no denying that Compton Dominguez High is headed back to boys’ basketball prominence under Coach Russell Otis. The Dons (14-6) pulled off their biggest win of the season Tuesday night, upsetting fourth-seeded Whittier, 61-57, in a Southern Section Division II-A second-round game at Dominguez.

Curtis Kelly made two free throws with six seconds left to clinch the victory. Jason Murdock added 20 points and Travon Free finished with 19 points and 16 rebounds.

Whittier (24-4), which had a 20-game winning streak stopped, received 27 points from Michael Hernandez.

Whittier trailed by 13 points with five minutes left and by nine points with three minutes left before its full-court press finally began to produce turnovers. The Cardinals got as close as 59-57 on a basket by Hernandez with nine seconds left.

“We knew they were going to make their run, but if we could handle the pressure, we could pull it out,” Murdock said. “Every game we get better. This game says a lot. Everything’s back to normal.”

-- Eric Sondheimer

Two top-seeded boys’ basketball teams lost in the Southern Section playoffs Tuesday. Los Angeles Murphy rode the 43-point performance of Chuma Awaji to a 70-61 victory over Orange Lutheran in Division IV-AA and Banning, led by Brandon McBad’s 19 points, stopped Torrance Bishop Montgomery, 81-76, in Division III-A.

Sean Cunningham scored seven of his 10 points in the second quarter to help Murphy to a double-digit lead.

The City Section’s semifinal schedules for boys’ and girls’ basketball have been changed because the men’s and women’s basketball teams from L.A. Southwest College are hosting first-round regional playoff games on Friday and Saturday nights.

The boys’ semifinals are at 4 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday at L.A. Southwest. The girls’ semifinals are at 7 p.m. Friday at Harbor College and 4 p.m. Saturday at Southwest.

Junior forward Ashley Jones scored two first-half goals to help second-seeded Westlake Village Westlake to a 3-1 victory over Ventura Buena in a Southern Section Division II girls’ soccer second-round playoff game at Moorpark College.

Jones converted on a rebound from the left side of the goal box in the 10th minute and then headed in a corner kick by Nicole Remenga in the 22nd minute as Westlake (18-0-1) advanced to the quarterfinals for the second consecutive season. The Warriors will travel to play Saugus at 3 p.m. Thursday.

With their skilled offensive attacks and a determined defense that stopped a second-half surge by Buena (15-8-3), the Warriors looked reminiscent of their Ventura County counterparts, who won Division II championships in 2000 and 2001.

“They definitely remind me of us a couple years ago,” said Coach Trish Butterbaugh of Channel League-champion Buena, which lost in the second round last season. “They’re just loaded. They were just pummeling us, coming at us in waves that first half.”

-- Lauren Peterson