LOS ANGELES — The Westchester boys basketball team wasn’t satisfied with just a six-point lead at halftime of its game against Birmingham on Wednesday in the L.A. City Section Open Division quarterfinals.
The Comets turned up the heat defensively in the second half, limiting Birmingham to only 18 points in the final two periods, to finish the night with a 60-41 win.
Westchester (20-9) will face third-seeded Cleveland in the semifinals Monday at Roybal.
Jordan Ballard led the way for the Comets with 17 points. Tajh Ariza and Khaeden Asher-Grady had 12 points each.
“We came out with more intensity (in the second half),” said Ariza. “We tried to crowd their space and give them no open shots without having a hand in their face.”
On a night when he struggled to score, Ariza contributed in other ways, added 12 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
“I just tried to use other parts of my game tonight since I wasn’t scoring,” he said. “I was trying to make plays for others and play solid defense. We are moving closer to the goal of winning a (City) championship.”
With Westchester trailing by three early in the second quarter, Ballard started asserting himself on the offensive end. He scored eight points in a three-minute span to put the Comets up by four.
Patrick Ramos hit a 3-pointer and Ariza scored on reverse lay-up to put the Comets up 27-20 with 1:10 to play in the half.
Ballard continued his hot shooting in the second half. After Asher-Grady made a 3-pointer to put the Comets up seven points, Ballard got a steal and hit two free throws. One minute later, he hit a corner 3-pointer to increase the Comets’ lead to 37-27.
“We knew our shots weren’t falling so we had to make it up on the defensive end,” Ballard said. “That’s what got us the win tonight. I felt like I have been working hard lately and tonight I got the opportunity to show what I have been working in the gym for.
“We just have to prepare and stay in the gym to be ready for whatever comes.”
Birmingham made a push to catch the Comets in the third quarter, scoring six consecutive points to pull within four when senior Mandell Anthony hit a jumper with 2:55 to play. Westchester responded with a 10-2 run over the final 2:32 of the third quarter to push the lead to 47-35.
With Westchester leading by 12 with 4:30 to play, the defense put the game away as sophomore Gary Ferguson made a steal that led to an emphatic dunk.
Seconds later Ballard got a steal and Ariza ended the play with a tip-jam to put the Comets up 57-39 with 3:18 to play.
“We told them once we got into the playoffs it would be defense that would carry us,” Westchester coach DeWitt Cotton said. “Jordan was great tonight. We’ve been trying to get him to play like this all year. He stepped up when other guys weren’t hitting shots.
“We just want to win, that’s all. Keep winning. I don’t want to look ahead (to a potential showdown with Chatsworth in the finals). We did a little bit tonight and hopefully we learned from it moving forward.”