Hamilton pushes Dominguez into final

Having guided Compton Dominguez to 10 Southern Section championships and six state titles in boys’ basketball, Coach Russell Otis doesn’t let his players get away with anything.

So it came as no surprise Tuesday night when he benched 6-foot-7 Jordan Hamilton, averaging 29 points a game, in the second quarter of a semifinal playoff game after Hamilton threw up a wild, off-balance shot.

“None of them are scared of me,” Otis said. “They just know I’m not going to tolerate nonsense.”

The message got through to Hamilton, who finished with 20 points and was on his best behavior in the second half of Dominguez’s 58-52 victory over Santa Margarita in a Division I-AA semifinal game at Saddleback College.

The win sets up a much-anticipated championship game Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at the Honda Center between the top-seeded Dons (27-2) and No. 2 Santa Ana Mater Dei (31-0), which defeated Long Beach Wilson, 70-61.

“It’s awesome,” Otis said. “How often does No. 1 and No. 2 make it this far, especially with this super division.”

Dominguez has lost only to City Section finalist Woodland Hills Taft, and the Dons are becoming a dangerous team because other players are getting involved in the offense besides Hamilton.

Robert Mandingo scored 13 points, and Dominick LaCoste and Bryce Cartwright made offensive contributions when needed. Also important for the Dons was their ability to limit Santa Margarita’s leading scorer, Klay Thompson, to 11 points. Jaime Serna led the Eagles with 18 points.

Santa Margarita (26-5) trailed by as many as 17 points in the third quarter, then closed to within, 52-48, with three minutes left on a basket by Trayce Thompson. But Hamilton was a stabilizing force on the court and made two free throws with 36 seconds left to help maintain the lead.

Santa Margarita was able to rally in the fourth quarter when Dominguez became too tentative on offense. “We knew they were going to make a run,” Otis said. “Our defense was solid.”

Hamilton’s fiery attitude has sometimes gotten him into trouble, but Otis has been firm and consistent about what he expects from him. Otis benched Hamilton with 1:44 left in the second quarter after Hamilton threw up a shot that resembled something from a game of H-O-R-S-E.

“I kind of rushed it,” Hamilton said afterward.

Otis let him know about it.

“He’s a disciplinarian,” Hamilton said. “I’ve learned to be quiet and not say anything.”

USC Coach Tim Floyd was watching from the bleachers among the packed crowd. He’s hoping to recruit Hamilton, a junior who’s also considering Texas and Kansas, among others.

By winning, Dominguez clinched a spot in next week’s state Division I playoffs. Despite the loss, Santa Margarita is expected to receive a berth to the state Division III playoffs.

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eric.sondheimer@latimes.com