The Hamilton and Westchester basketball teams are set to battle for the Open Division girls City Section Championship. The title match will take place at Pasadena City College on March 1 at 6:00P.M.
The Hamilton Yankees defeated the Palisades Dolphins 67-47 in the Semifinals. Senior Kinidi Curl led the Yankees with 23 points and four steals and senior Micah Lemons secured 13 rebounds.
Hamilton Senior Jade Fort also contributed 18 points and Lemons scored 11 points in the effort. The Yankees started strong, leaping to an 11-2 lead by the end of the first quarter.
The Dolphins regained their composure on offense, closing their deficit to six points by the half. Hamilton saved their best performance until the fourth quarter, when they scored 24 points in the phase alone.
Hamilton won the girls Division II championship in 2018 after defeating Crenshaw 68-59. The Yankees have reached the Open Division title match in 2020 and 2021 but are still seeking their first title in the division.
Throughout this season, the Yankees have defeated teams by big margins. They have held teams to as little as seven points in a game and have scored by as much as 92 points. Hamilton leads the Western League with a 12-0 record.
The Westchester Lady Comets suffered two losses to Hamilton this season: a 48-69 loss at Westchester and a 57-63 loss in late January.
Last season, the Yankees fell to the Lady Comets in the girls Open Division Semifinals 58-66.
Westchester got their revenge on the reigning girls Open Division champion Birmingham Patriots, defeating them 57-44 in the Semifinals. The Patriots defeated the Lady Comets 55-50 in the Open Division title game last season.
The score remained close in the early minutes of the Semifinal matchup. Shooting accuracy helped the Lady Comets to a 21-15 lead by the end of the first quarter. By the second quarter, Westchester built a double-digit lead.
Birmingham was held to eight points in the fourth quarter, allowing Westchester to secure the victory.
Westchester has a 22-6 overall record and plenty of Open Division experience. This season marks their fourth consecutive trip to the Open Division championship game. They won the Open title in 2023 when they defeated the Granada Hills Highlanders 51-44.
