Granada Hills is stopped in title game
Westchester girls basketball coach Dominic Grimes put it simply.
“I felt like we left (the City title) on the floor last year,” said Grimes, reflecting on the Comets' loss to Birmingham in the final last season. “We were motivated. After that game, we got into the gym and started working. We talked about it every day, we didn't run from it.”
The Comets certainly didn't run from it, instead, running to a 51-44 win over Granada Hills Charter in the City Section Open Division final at Pasadena City College Saturday night.
Westchester outscored Granada Hills 10-3 in the final four minutes, including an 8-0 run capped by a baseline jumper from Rylie Waugh that served as a dagger with 1:22 to play and give the program its fifth City title.
Junior guard Mariah Blake led the Comets with 20 points and 19 rebounds. Waugh finished with 11 points in the victory.
Westchester's biggest advantage in the game was on the glass, heavily outrebounding the Highlanders to create more shot attempts, even grabbing offensive rebounds on free throw misses on multiple occasions.
“We emphasize trying to control the glass,” Grimes said. “We have great athletes that are very active. I figured if we win that battle, we'd have a good chance to win the game.”
Granada Hills' best chance was through star guard Marianne Boco, who had a game-high 29 points. Boco had 11 points in the first quarter and 12 points in the third. But no other Highlanders scored in double digits.
Boco had to come out of the game for a portion of the second quarter with an ankle sprain. After being taped by an athletic trainer, she checked back into the game, but was held scoreless in the frame.
“We want to get other players involved, it just wasn't happening tonight,” Granada Hills coach Jared Honig said.
Granada Hills scored just six points in the fourth quarter. Boco scored all of them.
“It was almost impossible,” Grimes said about trying to stop Boco. “But I felt like if only one player gets loose, we'd be alright.”
Westchester will await its fate on placement in the CIF State playoffs when the brackets get released this afternoon.