Dorsey’s Taunts Backfire, Carson Triumphs, 61-56

If Carson High was looking for a motivational lift Wednesday during its basketball game with Dorsey, the Colts didn’t have to look far.

Seated in the visitors’ bleachers at Carson was a large group of Dorsey football players, who spent a good part of the game reminding everyone of their 26-15 upset over the Colts in the L.A. City 4-A championship game in December.

“City champs” was one of their favorite cheers.

But Dorsey’s tactics in the stands didn’t have much effect on the court, as Carson enjoyed the last laugh in a 61-56 Southern-Pacific Conference victory.

Carson forward Nkosi Littleton, an All-City linebacker in football, said he tuned out the hecklers. He scored 14 points, 12 coming in the second half when the Colts fought off the comeback attempts of the taller Dons.

“I saw them, but I didn’t pay any attention to them,” Littleton said. “They’re in the stands. I had to worry about what was going on out here.”

Carson Coach Richard Masson, though, sensed his team was more prepared against Dorsey because of what happened last football season.

“Certainly it didn’t hurt our intensity any,” he said. “We play better when we’re motivated. I’m sure (the revenge factor) had something to do with it. It kept us a little more focused.”

It was the first conference loss for Dorsey (3-1), while Carson (3-1, 13-7 overall) increased its lead to two games over Banning in the Pacific League.

“This was a big win for us,” Masson said. “Talent-wise, Dorsey has no peer (in the conference). They are a scary team to play.”

The Dons boast a physical front line headed by 6-foot-7 James Bacon and 6-6 Tony Booten and a solid back court in sharpshooting guards Kareem Sconiers and Tim Cage. But Carson’s trapping defense forced Dorsey into 24 turnovers, which kept the Dons from establishing a consistent offense.

Masson was particularly pleased with Carson’s inside defense, headed by 6-2 Littleton, 6-3 Chris Aaron and 6-4 Justin Beery. Although Dorsey’s Bacon and Booten held a distinct height advantage, they combined for just 15 points.

“That was a key for us,” Masson said.

Carson guard Bobby Kelly tied Dorsey’s Sconiers for high-scoring honors with 18 points despite sitting out more than half the game because of foul trouble. His two free throws with 12 seconds left accounted for the final score and removed the possibility of Dorsey tying the game on a last-ditch three-point shot.

Led by Cage and Sconiers, Dorsey made five three-point shots in the first half. But, after adjusting their defense, the Colts held the Dons without a three-pointer after halftime. Dorsey made just six field goals in the second half, the same number of baskets made by Littleton, who took the ball inside with great success in the third and fourth quarters.

Guard Michael Ross added 11 points for Carson, nine in the first half to help the Colts open a 34-29 lead, and point guard Tyrone Smith had eight.

Gardena 48, Narbonne 41--Junior forward Robin Kirksey led all scorers with 18 points and the Mohicans made eight of eight free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter to post a Southern-Pacific Conference victory at Narbonne.

It was the second straight win for Gardena (2-2 in conference play), which outscored the Gauchos, 16-9, in the fourth quarter. It was the fourth consecutive loss for Narbonne (0-4, 11-7), which has failed to live up to the promise it showed during non-league play.

“We seem to have lost the edge,” Narbonne Coach Bob Hoppes said. “We went through the motions today. We were sleepwalking.”

Forward Major Goulsby led the Gauchos with 14 points and 13 rebounds, but the team’s top player, point guard Gabriel Maciel, was held scoreless.

Westchester 75, Venice 69--Guard Damian Wilson sank a free throw with 29 seconds left to break a 69-69 tie, then rebounded his own miss that led to four Comet free throws and clinched a Coastal Conference victory at Venice.

Swingman Mike Mulligan scored 21 points, including two free throws in the waning moments, and Wilson added 19 for Westchester, which improved to 3-1 in the conference and 12-7 overall.

Crenshaw 74, Banning 72--The Cougars hit a shot at the buzzer to pull out a Southern-Pacific Conference win at Banning. The Pilots, who got 23 points from forward Jabari Anderson, dropped to 1-3 in the conference and 9-8 overall. Crenshaw remained in first place in the Southern League at 4-0.