HIGH SCHOOL BOYS’ BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : Dominguez Wins Title, Coach Still Gripes

Upset because his team was not seeded first in the Southern Section Division II-A playoffs, Compton Dominguez High Coach Russell Otis chided section officials Saturday.

Moments after Dominguez defeated Tustin, 77-59, in the II-A final before 9,579 at The Pond of Anaheim, Otis told a crowded room of reporters that his team played the entire game with “a chip on its shoulder.”

“The bracketing wasn’t justified,” Otis said. “We lose one game late in the season (to Lynwood) and we drop down to the second seed. We played one of the toughest schedules in the nation, and that should be noted.”

Otis also reacted to comments several Tustin players made last week in local newspapers, indicating they were eager to prove something to Dominguez.

“We played a 10 times tougher schedule than Tustin, yet they’re the top-seeded team,” said Otis, whose team improved to 29-2.

Dominguez took a 10-1 lead, withstood a rally late in the first quarter, and led, 36-25, at halftime, extending its margin to as much as 24 points in the second half.

Tommy Prince, a 6-foot-4 guard-forward being recruited by UCLA, scored 18 points and grabbed five rebounds. Jamen Brown, a 6-6 guard/forward, finished with a team-high 19 points and James Jones, a 6-4 forward, scored 18.

Tustin dropped to 28-2.

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Fontana 65, Long Beach Poly 57--Senior guard/forward Jemall Slaughter scored 23 points and added nine rebounds and five assists to lead the Steelers to their first title in the I-AA championship game at The Pond.

Fontana (23-6) also received a strong performance from 6-6 forward Corey Benjamin, who scored 20 points and had 15 rebounds.

Poly (21-10) got as close as 49-47 on a three-point basket by Larry McCan, who finished with 14 points, with three minutes remaining in the game.

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Pasadena 60, Riverside JW North 58--Gordon Scott made two free throws with 19 seconds remaining in overtime to lift the Bulldogs to the II-AA title at The Pond.

Scott, a 6-5 guard/forward, finished with 16 points and six assists but did not score in overtime until he made the winning free throws.

“I think the arena and crowd were a bit distracting for me, but I’m just glad we were able to pull it out,” Scott said.

North (23-4) led, 47-41, with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter but committed six of its 19 turnovers down the stretch, allowing Pasadena (24-6) to tie the score, 49-49, sending it into overtime.

Pasadena forward Derek Hodges had a dunk in overtime that put the Bulldogs ahead, 58-57. He finished with a game-high 25 points.

North was led in scoring by forward Brian Hooks, who finished with 21 points.

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Lakewood Artesia 65, Compton Centennial 52--Jonathan Nelson, a senior transfer from Lynwood, scored a team-high 18 points and had nine rebounds to lead the Pioneers (26-3) to the III-AA title at The Pond.

Nelson, a 6-9 center, also had four assists and a blocked shot against the Apaches (18-13).

The title was the first for Artesia since it won back-to-back championships in 1990 and ’91.

The Pioneers rebuilt their team with several transfer players, including Nelson and Kevin Daley, a 6-6 senior forward who attended Lawndale Leuzinger as a sophomore. Daley had 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Forward Kenzie Weir led the Apaches with 20 points and eight rebounds.

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North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake 56, Goleta Dos Pueblos 46--Sophomore twins Jason and Jarron Collins combined for 31 points and 32 rebounds in leading the Wolverines (27-2) to the III-A title at The Pond.

The title was the first for Harvard-Westlake since 1970.

Jason Collins, a 6-10 center, finished with 20 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots. Jarron Collins, a 6-9 forward, had 11 points and 16 rebounds against Dos Pueblos (25-3).

Harvard-Westlake enjoyed a big advantage at the free throw line, where it made 17 of 27 shots. Dos Pueblos, which shot 25% from the floor, made only five of six free throws.

Forward Justin Stone led the Chargers with 18 points.