Westchester boys, Carson girls win City Section basketball titles

When Westchester turns it on, few teams in the state are better, and the Comets gave Woodland Hills Taft a lesson in the second half Saturday en route to winning their 11th City Section Division I boys’ basketball championship with a 70-60 victory at the Galen Center.

With the score tied, 24-24, at halftime, Westchester (27-3) took control in the third quarter, outscoring the Toreadors, 25-12. The difference was the Comets’ experience at the guard position. They handled the pressure while Taft’s guards didn’t respond.

“It’s like the old wild west shootout -- the first guy to blink,” Taft Coach Derrick Taylor said. “We started blinking like crazy.”

Dwayne Polee Jr., limited to four points in the first half after picking up two quick fouls, finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Kareem Jamar had 16 points, Menas Stephens added 13 and Jordin Mayes contributed 12.

Bryce Jones turned in a strong performance for Taft (24-5), scoring 29 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

Carson girls win title in OT

Carson junior point guard Chante Miles had a hand in fouling out five Narbonne starters and also scored 14 points in the Colts’ 53-47 overtime victory, their first City Section Division I girls’ title.

The game got so exciting that Carson Coach Marcel Sanders had to be taken from the sideline near the end of regulation because of breathing difficulties.

“I’m high-strung and do have a heart murmur and got to where I couldn’t breathe,” Sanders said.

The seven-time City champion Gauchos (22-10) led much of the game, but foul trouble began to weaken them in the fourth quarter. Carson (22-8) took the lead at 44-42 with 16 seconds left in regulation on a basket by Jasmine Barnett.

With 9.7 seconds left in regulation, Tashawn McGhee made a free throw to tie the score at 44-44 and send the game into overtime.

But the Colts took charge because of a depleted Narbonne lineup. Tori Breshers, who fouled out in the fourth quarter, led Narbonne with 13 points.

Both teams struggled at the free-throw line. Carson made just 15 of 44 attempts. Narbonne was 16 for 30.

A stunning comeback for Verdugo Hills

Trailing by 17 points at halftime and by 15 points going into the fourth quarter, Verdugo Hills (24-7) outscored Woodland Hills El Camino Real, 19-0, over the final 5:52 to beat the Conquistadores, 60-52, in the Division III boys’ final at Roybal.

It was the first basketball title in school history for the Dons, who received 20 points and 16 rebounds from Chris Dees. Before this season, Verdugo Hills hadn’t won a league title since 1959.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com