LOS ANGELES – The “next man up” approach was in full effect Saturday night at Westchester High during the first-round L.A. City Open Division playoff game between defending champion Birmingham and the host Comets.
Six-foot-three junior Jordan Brinson – arguably Westchester’s best all-around player – stood with his back against a wall behind the basket as his teammates warmed up 20 minutes before the 7 o’clock scheduled tip-off.
He wasn’t in uniform and – even if he decides to put on a uniform – he won’t be playing for the Comets during their trek for a City crown and deep run into the State Open Division tournament.
Brinson revealed Saturday night that he had suffered two broken ribs on his right side during the team’s regular-season finale and was told by doctors that he won’t be able to resume working out and playing “for six to eight weeks”.
But his spirits seemed fine and said he planned on doing all he can to pump up his teammates and, as Westchester Coach Ed Azzam said afterward, sering as a de facto “assistant coach” for what remains of the season.
And – based upon the ensuing 59-47 Comets’ victory over the Devonaire Doutrive-led Patriots – Brinson, his teammates and coaching staff don’t anticipate Brinson’s injury hamstringing their championship ambitions.
Led by a dominant low-post performance by 6-6, 240-pound Kaelen Allen (PICTURED) and by the exceptional all-around performance by junior Kevin Bethel (who assumed Brinson’s spot in the starting lineup), the Comets starting building cushion in the final three minutes of the third quarter and things were safely in control the rest of the way to improve to 28-5 overall.
Azzam’s team will face Granada Hills (an upset winner at No. 4 seed Narbonne Saturday night) in a semifinal next Saturday night at L.A. Roybal High.
No.’s 2 and 3 seeds Fairfax and Taft will hook up in the other semifinal.
Birmingham moves to the consolation side of the bracket, where the Patriots will visit Narbonne Friday night.
Allen (who finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots) scored 10 first-quarter, points, three of those via a you’ve-got-to-be-freakin’-kidding-me dunk (and ensuing “And 1!” free throw as a result of the foul) over the top of 7-foot junior Christian Koloko.
But Doutrive – my choice as the No. 1 college prospect in the SoCal Class of 2018 – wouldn’t let the Comets pull away from his team.
He scored 16 points (via a couple of 3s and several nifty drives-and-finishes) in a first half that ended with the hosts up, 33-27.
Doutrive’s second 3 of the third quarter, with about three minutes to go, tied the score at 35.
After a timeout, the Comets came out in a box-and-one defensive alignment – with Bethel the “one” face-guarding him, relatively chest-to-chest, away from the ball – and it certainly contribute to their ability to finally wrest control of things for good.
The Comets scored the final eight points of the quarter, with Doutrive missing his only shot attempt.
By the time he got off another attempt, his jumper (his fifth 3), his team was down by 14 points with a bit less than three minutes to go.
Bethel also did a fine job of running the team’s transition and half-court attacks in Brinson’s absence, scoring 11 points with five assists and three steals.
Azzam has plenty of confidence in his man-to-man defense but also wasn’t stubborn enough to let Doutrive get the ball at will and take it anywhere he wanted – or launch unfettered jump shots – once the score was deadlocked.
“We never practice it (the box-and-1),” Azzam said afterward.
“But I saw Jamal Hartwell go off for 31 points against us (when the senior guard led rival Fairfax to a win over the Comets in a Western League game on Jan. 31) and I didn’t want that to happen again tonight. So, I told Kevin ‘don’t let him get the ball.’”
The Comets also got 16 points from forward Zellie Hudson.
Doutrive finished with 25 points, three rebounds, five assists and four steals, while junior guard Tyrese Windham added 14 points (nine on 3s) for the Patriots (12-13).
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