Westchester Sets Aside Setbacks, Wins Again

What was supposed to be the heart of the boys’ basketball season for Westchester was looking more like the tail end Wednesday night.

The Comets were playing in their first game since a City Section appeals committee upheld penalties against the team, including a ban on postseason play this season.

But Westchester was able to put aside the reality that its season might end in two weeks, instead of stretching through the state playoffs in mid-March, and defeated Los Angeles Fairfax, 63-55, in a Western League game at Westchester.

The Comets, ranked No. 1 in the Southland by The Times, were able to overcome a two-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter and take the lead for good, 49-48, when Rogdrick Craig scored off an offensive rebound in the first minute of the quarter.

Westchester (16-2, 5-0 in league) held the second-ranked Lions to seven points on only two field goals the rest of the way.

Craig said the Comets started slowly but didn’t approach the game any differently.

“We don’t hold anything back,” he said.

The Comets were penalized by the City Section for an alleged recruiting violation involving a Westchester assistant and 6-9 junior center Amir Johnson, who was also banned from practice and interscholastic play for one year for allegedly giving false information at a hearing last month.

The Comets have appealed to the California Interscholastic Federation.

Coach Ed Azzam said before the game that his players had been having difficulty understanding why their season might be cut short.

“I’d say right now they’re a little bit shocked, in terms of they believed the ruling would be fair because they know what happened,” he said.

“Most of it is anger and frustration. Some of the guys are very close to Amir and they feel bad because he didn’t do anything wrong.”

Gabriel Pruitt, who led the Comets with 22 points, said the thought that his senior season might be cut short was hard to push aside.

“That pops in our head every once in a while,” he said.

Fairfax (16-3, 4-1) shot slightly better in the first half, making 14 of 32 shots compared to 13 of 34 for the Comets. But the Lions made only eight of 27 shots in the second half and committed 12 turnovers.

Josh Shipp, who came into the game averaging 30 points per game for Fairfax, missed 11 of 14 shots and scored only six points in the first half. He finished with 15 points on five-for-21 shooting.

Fairfax’s 6-8 junior center, Jamal Boykin, was a force inside during the first half, scoring 10 points, but he did not get any rest and seemed to tire in the second half, scoring only three points.

Westchester’s forwards, Marcus Johnson and Craig, each scored 13 points to counter Boykin’s efforts.

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Big Wednesday

Highlights from Wednesday’s biggest boys’ basketball showdowns:

* Santa Ana Mater Dei 56, Santa Margarita 49

Marcel Jones scored 18 points and Taylor King added 16 to carry third-ranked Monarchs past No. 22 Eagles in a Serra League game.

* Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley 53,

Lake Forest El Toro 51

Chad DeCasas’ two free throws with 2.6 seconds left helped No. 13 Cougars edge No. 17 Chargers and remain unbeaten in South Coast League play.

* Los Angeles Loyola 64,

North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake 59

Vince Oliver had 24 points for No. 23 Cubs, who took Mission League lead over No. 15 Wolverines.