Onward and Upward

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

A season’s worth of hard work and sacrifice boils down to one game for all the marbles and the Palisades High girls basketball team stands on the brink of history.

The long anticipated showdown between the No. 2-seeded Dolphins and No. 1-seeded Fairfax for the City Section Open Division championship tips off at 5 p.m. Saturday at Cal State Dominguez Hills and the Dolphins are on the verge of history.

Palisades secured its third consecutive trip to the finals with a business-like 75-60 victory over El Camino Real last Saturday at Roybal Learning Center. At the final buzzer, the Dolphins exchanged high-fives as they walked off the court, but their celebration was tempered, for they know their mission is not yet complete.   

“They’re all very humbling,” head coach Torino Johnson said of his fifth City finals appearance in seven years. “I’m excited for my coaching staff and my players. You can never take these opportunities for granted. It’s a blessing to  coach a game you love, but the job’s not done.”

Palisades led 22-13 after the first quarter but the third-seeded Conquistadores (25-8) didn’t roll over. They were eager to avenge their 65-44 defeat in last year’s title game when they were held scoreless for a span of 11 minutes, 14 seconds and gave up 25 unanswered points. This time, they trailed by only 12 at halftime.

“Kudos to them,” Johnson said of ECR. “They have a great program and it’s an honor to share the court with them.”

Sophomore guard Kayla Williams had 28 points and Loyola Marymount-bound senior Chelsey Gipson added 27 for the Dolphins (25-8), who led by as many as 21 points in the second half. Senior guard Chaniya Pickett had five points while senior forward Julia Ide and freshman forward Jane Nwaba each added four points.    

Kianna Hamilton-Fisher had 16 for ECR.

Palisades and Fairfax split two Western League matchups this season, each winning on the other team’s floor, but the Lions (22-5) were awarded the higher seed. The teams met in the semifinals two years ago at Roybal, where Palisades rallied from a 17- point deficit with nine minutes left to prevail, 66-59. The Dolphins upset Harbor City Narbonne in the finals to capture the first of back-to-back Open Division crowns.