Westchester Topples Top-Seeded Fairfax

Without a center, without a big-time scorer and without a high-profile senior college prospect, eight-time City Section champion Westchester was supposed to become a mere mortal in the world of high school basketball this season.

Hold off on the Comets being average. On Friday night, they won their 23rd consecutive City playoff game dating to the 1999-2000 season. They did it in spectacular fashion, routing top-seeded Los Angeles Fairfax, 79-63, in a Championship Division semifinal playoff game at Fairfax.

Junior guard Dane Suttle scored 32 points, making 14 of 17 shots, to help Westchester (23-6) advance to next Saturday’s City final against Woodland Hills Taft at the Sports Arena.

It was a crushing defeat for Fairfax (24-3), which had been the City title favorite and had beaten the Comets twice in Western League games.

But Westchester came out red hot, making 10 of 15 shots in the first quarter and opening a 37-22 halftime lead. Suttle scored 18 points in the first half, and Brett Goodwell, a 6-foot-6 forward, gave the Comets a big lift with his rebounding and aggressive interior defense.

“Nobody thought we could come in and win tonight,” Suttle said.

“We talked all week about stepping it up because it was either win or go home. We had to match their intensity.”

Jerren Shipp scored 26 points for Fairfax, which never got closer than 10 points in the second half.

“This team has really improved,” Westchester Coach Ed Azzam said. “They showed a lot of determination. What we did tonight is do an outstanding job defensively, and Brett was phenomenal.”

Eric Sondheimer

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Girls’ Water Polo

Daisey Carrillo scored on a mid-pool shot with four seconds remaining, and third-seeded Montebello stunned second-seeded and defending champion Santa Ana Foothill, 8-7, in a Southern Section Division I semifinal at William J. Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine.

It will be the first trip to a water polo section final for Montebello (23-7), which denied Foothill (23-4) the opportunity to make its seventh consecutive finals appearance. Montebello will play top-seeded Newport Harbor, a 7-3 winner over Santa Margarita, Tuesday at 8:15 p.m. at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.

Foothill, winners of five section titles in six years, led, 6-4, with less than two minutes remaining, but Carrillo scored from 20 feet out, then Grace Quintana tied it with 53 second remaining and Priscilla Orozco gave Montebello a 7-6 lead with a steal and a breakaway goal with 30 seconds left.

Foothill’s Emily Klug tied it, 7-7, on a two-meter shot with nine seconds left, but Carrillo ended the furious finish with a shot that grazed off the fingertips of Foothill goalie Amber Oland and went into the left corner.

-- Peter Yoon