LOS ANGELES – The third time proved the “charm” for the Westchester High basketball team Saturday night in the Roybal Learning Center.
As for the “fourth time” for the Taft High squad in the same building and with the same prize at stake . . . not so much.
The Westchester Comets, who had lost two narrow decisions to Fairfax in Western League plays, finally got the Lions in their – and most important – meeting Saturday night, prevailing 66-59 in an L.A. City Open Division semifinal.
In the second semi played Saturday night at the same location, Birmingham made it 4 for 4 against West Valley League foe Taft, 80-73.
The victories set the stage for the March 4 Open Championship game (played at Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson) between top seed Birmingham (26-3) and No. 3 Westchester (24-8).
It’s the first time the Birmingham program has played for a championship in a “large division” of the L.A. City Section.
In the first of the games Saturday night Fairfax, behind sophomore guard Ethan Anderson, burst to a 9-0 advantage.
But the Comets’ overall strength under the backboards and their balanced scoring – six players scored from eight to 14 points – proved the difference for Coach Ed Azzam’s crew.
The Comets hit 29 of 34 free throws in the contest, including just enough of those (six of nine) in the fourth quarter to hold on late against the Jamal Hartwell-led rally of the Lions.
Hartwell, a junior guard, scored 10 of his game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter for the Lions, who play host to Narbonne in a consolation semifinal Tuesday night.
Senior forward Darryn Everage led the Comets with 14 points.
In the second game Taft – which lost twice to Birmingham in West Valley play and another time in the Beverly Hills Tournament – was in front, 18-12, late in the first quarter.
But the Patriots closed the quarter on an 8-0 run and mostly led in the 12 to 14-point range before the Toreadors, behind the low-post power of junior Antwan January, tightened their deficit late in the contest.
Birmingham got a combined 58 points from the trio of Devonaire Doutrive (23), Deschon Winston (20) and Devante Doutrive (15).
Birmingham knocked off Westchester, 84-74, in the championship game of the Pacific Shores Tournament at Redondo High last November.
The wins by Birmingham and Westchester Saturday night mean that they will be part of the eight-team field for the State Southern Regional Open division when it is unveiled on March 5.
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