Boys’ Basketball
The Dolphins (16-12) split their final two games of the season, barely losing at home 58-55 to Westchester last Wednesday. Two days later, they avenged a home loss to league rivals University, returning the favor with a 75-65 road win over the Wildcats to finish the season 9-3 in league. Against the Comets, senior guard Dominick Brown barely missed a potential game-tying three in the final seconds, after the Dolphins rallied back from a 57-49 deficit with 1:26 remaining. Junior guard and leading scorer Donovan Johnson tallied 21 points and seven steals and senior point guard Malcolm Creer handed out eight assists in the losing effort. Last Friday, senior forward Everett Osbourne dominated Uni to the tune of 22 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and three blocks, with Johnson chipping in 18 points en route to the 10-point win. That duo helped weather a 31-point, 16-rebound performance from 6-foot-4 Wildcats’ star David Nwaba. Pali’s focus now shifts to the City Section Division I playoffs, where they are the No. 5 seed, earning them a home game with No. 12 South Gate (15-11) today at 7 p.m. A win over the Rams and the Dolphins will play in the quarterfinals next Tuesday at 7 p.m. against No. 4 Crenshaw (18-8) or No. 13 Long Beach Jordan (7-12) with the higher seed receiving the home game. The semifinals and finals will both take place at the Galen Center on Friday, February 25 and March 5, respectively.
Girls’ Basketball
With a 48-34 win at Westchester last Wednesday and 78-16 home victory over University two days later, the Lady Dolphins (20-9, 10-2) closed out the regular season on a five-game winning streak. Junior guard Ashlie Bruner scored 14 points to go with seven steals and seven assists, Asia Smith scored 11 and pulled down 17 rebounds to help down the Comets. On Friday, junior Donae Moguel tallied 25 points and nine rebounds in the win over the Wildcats. The Pali girls are now the No. 1 seed in the City Section Division II playoffs, earning home-court through the semifinals. First up, they play 16th-seed Maywood Academy tomorrow night at 7 p.m. A quarterfinals home match-up with either No. 8 Jefferson (14-2) or No. 9 North Hollywood (11-8) awaits Pali next Wednesday at 7 p.m., while the semifinals are on Friday, February 25 with the finals following on Sunday, March 4 at Roybal Learning Center at 6 p.m.
Boys’ Soccer
The Dolphins (12-1-5) finished the regular season in triumphant fashion, winning 2-0 at Fairfax and 5-1 at Hamilton to run its final Western League record to 9-1-2. Seniors Steve Diaz and Shane Centkowski scored against the Lions, while five different players’Kevin Strangeway, David Joy, Lucas Wetherby-Johnson, Alex Anastasi and Johnny Lambour’all found the back of the net against the Yankees. As a result, Pali received the No. 5 seed and hosted No. 28 Granada Hills Kennedy in the opening round of the Large Schools, single-elimination tournament on Wednesday at 3 p.m. (after the Post went to press). A win over Kennedy would put the Dolphins in the final 16, where a Friday home game looms with either No. 12 Jefferson (15-3-7) or No. 21 Woodland Hills Taft (12-8-4). The quarterfinals will be played on Wednesday, February 23, the semifinals on Monday, February 28 and the final on Saturday, March 5.
Girls’ Soccer
Palisades (19-1) shut out Fairfax 4-0 and Hamilton 1-0 to win its final two home games and end the regular season with a perfect 12-0 league record. Junior forward Katie van Daalen Wetters netted a goal in both games, finishing as the Lady Dolphins’ leading scorer with 18 goals. The Lady Dolphins were awarded the No. 2 seed in the City Section Divisional Playoffs and kick off at 3 p.m. today at home against Woodland Hills Taft (6-12-6). Ironically, Pali’s only defeat of the season came against the Lady Toreadors, who the Lady Dolphins lost to 1-0 on December 13. Taft has been less than stellar of late, with only one win in its last 10 games. A first-round win over the Lady Toreadors and Pali will play next Thursday, February 24 against either No. 7 Huntington Park (16-3-2) or No. 10 Birmingham (9-7-5) in the quarterfinals. The semifinals take place on Tuesday, March 1 and the final is on Saturday, March 5.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
