Dolphins Start Fast In Beverly Hills

The Palisades High boys varsity basketball team could not have picked a better place to try to bounce back from its first loss of the season. The Dolphins did just that Monday afternoon in the opening round of the Beverly Hills Tournament, routing Antelope Valley 65-31 on the same floor on which they have hoisted the winner’s trophy six times. The easy victory restored some of the confidence Palisades lost in a 62-36 defeat at the hands of Campbell Hall in the championship game of the Vikings’ tournament on Saturday. “We won our first three games so easily that maybe we started thinking we were better than we are,” said Dolphins’ Coach James Paleno, who earned his 300th coaching victory last Wednesday in Pali’s season opener. “They jumped on us early and we just couldn’t make a basket. We shot 28 percent, had eight assists and 25 turnovers’that tells you all you need to know.” In its prior two games, Palisades led West Adams Prep, 26-0, after the first quarter and led Canoga Park, 48-0, after the first quarter on the way to blowout wins. Monday’s game was more of the same, as the Dolphins raced to a 37-16 halftime lead and cruised from there. All-City guard Aaron Hawk-Harris led the way with 17 points, slick-shooting forward Irvin Kintaudi added 10 points and Aaron Fitts, Garrett Frick and Josh Gilmore each added eight for Palisades (4-1). “We’ve had success here,” said Paleno, who has witnessed every one of Palisades’ wins at the tournament, either as a head coach or an assistant. “During one stretch we won it five times in six years.” Point guard Taylor Shipley had seven points, Bruce Sarmento scored four and Brandon Greer added three. After Palisades’ post-game talk, Paleno watched the next game between View Park and Crossroads closely, knowing the Dolphins would play the winner in the quarterfinals Wednesday (result undetermined at press time). Saturday night’s final could match the second-seeded Dolphins against highly-ranked and top-seeded Long Beach Poly.