Westchester and Chatsworth boys basketball teams are set to battle for the CIF City Section Open Division title on February 28 at 8:00P.M. at Southwest College.
The Westchester Comets punched their ticket to the title game after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 68-57 in the Semifinals.
“It’s big, it’s really what I came here for,” said Westchester junior Tajh Ariza. “Just bring the City back.”
The Comets secured a double-digit lead by the second quarter, but Cavaliers chipped away at their deficit. Cleveland senior guard Cayden Kelly went on a four-point run to start the third quarter, bringing the team within three points of the Comets.
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Westchester freshman Taj Ingram found his shooting rhythm only to trade baskets with Kelly.
“It’s my first time doing stuff like this,” Ingram said. “My teammates, they helped me through it.”
With 4:15 left in the third phase, senior guard Kamari King hit a basket that gave Cleveland a one-point lead. The Comets went on a 16-5 run shortly after, ending the third with a buzzer beating three-pointer by Ariza.
“We didn’t give up many open shots and we got back on defense,” Westchester boy’s basketball head coach Dewitt Cotton said about their rally in the third quarter. “We gave up a lot of layups in the first half because we didn’t get back, but we cleaned that up.”
The Comets head into the open title game with a 21-9 overall record and a 12-0 Western League. They are ranked 60th in California.
The Chatsworth Chancellors defeated the Palisades Dolphins 77-47 in the Open Division Semifinals. The Chancellors jumped to a 7-2 run with 3:37 left in the first quarter. Senior CJ Gore went on a seven-point run for Chatsworth, helping them to a 20-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.
“I know we made it last year but this year we’re trying to go all the way, win first place,” Gore said. “I’m just flowing, get my teammates involved to make sure everybody’s having a good time.”
A four-point run by junior guard Kye Davis got the Dolphins within four points. While Chatsworth maintained their lead, Palisades found ways to score.
“Being confident in each other really took us far, more ball movement, more running off the ball, more communication,” said Chatsworth senior Alijah Arenas. “It was building that team off the court to translate on the court.”
The facilitating of Gore, along with the rebounding of senior center Taj Unuakhalu and the scoring of Arenas, were instrumental in their Semifinal victory.
“It’s a testament to not just my art, my whole team’s,” Unuakhalu said. “How far we came and just how much work we’ve been putting in. We’ve been locking in, dialing in after every loss we had; we got better.”
Chatsworth has a 22-7 overall record and a 9-1 record in the West Valley league, they are ranked 69th in California.
