Can Downey beat Dominguez? Let’s ask the Vikings’ coach

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Downey Coach Larry Shelton won’t lie. He knows the odds look bleak. ‘Honestly, they’re like playing a college team,’ he said, referring to the No. 4-ranked Dominguez Dons who will play the sub-.500 Vikings tonight/Friday in a San Gabriel Valley League showdown.

Dominguez (10-2) has just battled four elite boys’ basketball squads -- Campbell Hall, Simi Valley, Taft and Gahr, all ranked by The Times, by the way. The Dons won three of those contests, losing only to No. 1 Taft.

Now it’s Downey’s chance for an ultimate upset. Possible? ‘We’ll have to play above our heads,’ Shelton said. ‘We’re not a scoring machine.’ True. Downey’s leading scoring is Guillermo Botello, averaging only 13 points.

Shelton then harked back to venerated UCLA coach John Wooden in preparation for the Dominguez game: ‘We need to think about a Wooden Principle, where ‘We’re not playing against an opponent -- we’re playing against ourselves.’’

Good way to look at it, Coach. Now let’s see if you can pull off the ultimate upset.

-- Anthony Stitt