Westchester Settles for a Split Decision

The Westchester boys’ basketball team proved one thing Friday, even if it suffered a loss off the court.

The Comets, ranked No. 1 in the Southland by The Times, failed to win a court injunction earlier in the day that they hoped would overturn a postseason ban into the City Section playoffs next week.

But the court-room loss didn’t stop visiting Westchester from defeating No. 2 Los Angeles Fairfax, 76-64, to complete an unbeaten run in the Western League.

The victory cemented Westchester (23-2, 10-0) as the top team in the Southland, although earlier in the day attorneys for Westchester failed to convince a Superior Court judge to issue a temporary restraining order that would have allowed the Comets to be eligible for the playoffs, which are scheduled to be seeded this morning.

Comet Coach Ed Azzam said the judge would not rule on the restraining order until all of the school’s appeals have been exhausted.

Westchester is still waiting to hear back on its appeal to the executive director of the California Interscholastic Federation, an appeal that was launched after a three-person appeal panel from the section upheld the penalties Jan. 26.

“We think the decision will go in our favor,” Westchester guard Gabriel Pruitt said. “I’m just ready to start practicing next week.”

Azzam said he heard from his principal before the game that the section might design two sets of pairings for the playoffs. One with Westchester and one without.

Azzam said he expects to hear back from the CIF by Tuesday. If the appeal is again denied, Westchester plans to continue with the injunction.

Jon Toliver scored a season-high 26 points to lead Westchester to the victory Friday night.

The Comets led, 43-35, with 3:25 left in the third quarter. Fairfax would draw to within five points, 50-45, when Josh Shipp, who had 31 points, finished a fast break with a dunk early in the fourth quarter.

Marcus Johnson’s three-point shot stemmed the Lion rally and Westchester never led by less than six points the rest of the way.