Westchester Awarded No. 1 Seed

Fairfax High’s 66-62 victory over boys’ basketball juggernaut Westchester two weeks ago has given other coaches a glimmer of hope entering the City Section playoffs, which open Friday with first-round games.

As expected, two-time defending champion Westchester (24-2) was the top-seeded team when the 16-team bracket was released Saturday morning at Manual Arts. Fairfax (26-3) was seeded second, Dorsey (17-6) third and Crenshaw (19-7) fourth.

But Westchester’s aura of invincibility has vanished, Carson Coach Richard Masson said.

“Fairfax showed they can be beaten,” said Masson, whose Colts could play Westchester in the quarterfinals. “You’ve just got to go in without being afraid to play them and do some things to negate some of their athleticism.”

Carson can’t afford to look that far ahead, though. The Colts (17-7) play host to Woodland Hills Taft (16-8) on Friday in the best first-round matchup, even though Carson won, 75-57, when the teams played in mid-December.

The Toreadors have been up and down because of inconsistencies in their lineup. All-City Section guard Steve Smith didn’t play until mid-January because of a knee injury suffered during football season. Around the same time, though, Coach Derrick Taylor kicked three starters off the team, including point guard Mustafa Ashgari, who was averaging 26 points.

Masson expects to lose shooting guard Bryan Harvey, a freshman starter, and reserve junior center Kevin Lyles to academic ineligibility, a factor that could wreak havoc on several teams as grade reports are issued this week section-wide.

Westchester, which has won three of the last four City titles, has the depth to make it to the title game even if half its lineup was declared ineligible. But the Comets could face a challenge in the semifinals against Fremont (20-5), which has improved since being routed in last year’s final, 109-80.

The Pathfinders first must get past Crenshaw on the Cougars’ home floor--something that hasn’t happened in Sam Sullivan’s 25 seasons as Fremont coach.

Fairfax Coach Harvey Kitani and the Lions haven’t won a City title since 1987, but they probably have the best chance of knocking off Westchester. The Comets have won two of three in the season series, but the Lions won the most recent matchup. The teams wouldn’t meet until the championship at the Forum.

“We know we can compete with them,” Kitani said. “If everyone sticks to the game plan, it should be a good game. We’ve played them enough times during the summer and the season that our kids know their kids.”