LA City Section results quarterfinals 2/27/00

Here's whaqt we predicted yesterday before the City Section "Championship" semifinals:

Well, we didn't think the Crenshaw spread would be as big as it turned out to be, and we were about 13 points off on the Westchester game, but at least we picked the winners correctly. In any event, with these results, this sets up another Crenshaw v. Westchester final, which will be played next Friday night at the Great Western Forum. Here are the details from Saturday night's games:

No. 1 Crenshaw 82, No. 4 Fremont 54--Top-seeded Crenshaw (21-2) relied on its defense to earn another appearance in the City Section championship game. Crenshaw didn't shoot well from the perimeter, particularly in the first half. But behind 6-foot-7 Chris Davis, the Cougars got their hands on rebounds and put back in a number of missed shots. Davis did most of his damage in the first half with 12 points. He finished with 14. The Cougars also made things tough for Fremont junior guard Kenton Paulino. Paulino, who had 44 points against Crenshaw in an earlier meeting, finished with 21. But he scored 11 in the fourth quarter when the Pathfinders were behind by 22 points. Washington State signee Tommy Johnson scored 22 points for Crenshaw. Freshman Marcus Williams added 14 points and Taylor Parsons had 10 for the Cougars. Mark Bradford finished with 15 points for Fremont, which ended its season at 18-10.

No. 2 Westchester 55, No. 3 Fairfax 52--Second-seeded Westchester beat third-seeded Fairfax, 55-52, in the City Championship Division playoff semifinals at Los Angeles Southwest College, avenging last year's semifinal defeat at the hands of the Lions. Last season, Westchester lost to Fairfax in the semifinals, but Fairfax went on to lose in the City Finals to Manual Arts. The year before, Westchester beat Crenshaw in the semifinals and went on to win the State title. But that was then and this s now. Westchester (23-6) will play Crenshaw, an 82-54 winner Saturday night over Fremont, for the City title Friday night at the Great Western Forum. Westchester won three of four games against Fairfax this season. The Comets won by two points in a tournament in Las Vegas in December. The teams split their Western League meetings when they played twice in three days in January. Saturday's game was not decided until Fairfax guard Jason Morrissette put up a desperation shot from half court that didn't hit the rim. Westchester made big free throws and a critical defensive play in the final seconds. After Scottie Stern pulled Fairfax to within 53-52 with his fourth three-pointer, Westchester's Jason Breland made one of two free throws for a 54-52 lead with 6.2 seconds left. Knowing that Fairfax needed to move the ball toward its basket quickly, Westchester coach Ed Azzam had four players parked beyond half court. Westchester guard Ashanti Cook intercepted a long inbounds pass and was fouled. He added a free throw for the final margin. Jason Breland finished with a game-high 20 points. But it was an ensemble effort for the Comets, particularly during a seesaw fourth quarter. Cedric Thompkins had three free throws and grabbed three of his team-high nine rebounds. Cook made a 15-footer to give the Comets the lead for good with 4:55 remaining. Fairfax guard Ishmael Torres scored on two drives that helped give the Lions an early 9-1 lead. Breland brought Westchester back, scoring 13 points in the first half. His three-point shot at the buzzer gave the Comets a 26-22 lead at halftime. Scottie Stern had a team-high 14 points for Fairfax, while Jason Morrissette added 12.

LA City Section Boys' Championship Tournament First round games February 18 7:30 p.m. *Higher Seed is Home Team			Quarterfinals Wednesday Feb. 23 Higher seed is home team	Semifinals Feb. 25	Finals March 3 @ The Great Western Forum 8:00 p.m.
No. 16 Eagle Rock 36	@	No. 1 Crenshaw 83	Palisades 59 @ Crenshaw 72	Crenshaw 82 @LA Southwest College Fremont 54	Crenshaw March 3, 8:00 p.m. @ The Forum Westchester
No. 9 Monroe 41	@	No. 8 Palisades 55	Palisades 59 @ Crenshaw 72
No. 12 Washington 67	@	No. 5 Fremont 74	Fremont 67 @ Taft 63
No. 13 Sylmar 59	@	No. 4 Taft 65	Fremont 67 @ Taft 63
No. 14 South Gate 42	@	No. 3 Fairfax 64	Carson 61 @ Fairfax 88	Fairfax 52 @LA Southwest College Westchester 55
No. 11 Dorsey 57	@	No. 6 Carson 59	Carson 61 @ Fairfax 88
No. 10 Grant 43	@	No. 7 Cleveland 55	Cleveland 65 @ Westchester 83
No. 15 Jordan 56	@	No. 2 Westchester 78	Cleveland 65 @ Westchester 83

The City Finals, in the City Championship are scheduled for March 3 at the Great Western Forum and the boys will get underway at 8:00 p.m. Admission Prices at Finals for the City Championships will be $6.00 for Student (Pre-Sale); General Admission $9, Reserved Seating $10, and Children (under 12) $3.