Pali High Girls Basketball Captures Third Straight City Title
By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor
Right from the opening tipoff there was little doubt who would prevail in Friday night’s City Open Division girls basketball final.
Palisades was playing in its own gym and used the homecourt advantage to build an early lead against Western League rival Hamilton before gradually pulling away in the second half to win 62-44 for its second straight Open crown and third section title in a row.
It was a rematch of the 2020 final and was a near carbon copy. The Dolphins won last year 60-44 on a neutral floor at Southwest College. This is the second straight season that Palisades has beaten the Yankees three times, not an easy task versus a familiar and formidable opponent.
Junior Demonnie Lagway led the Dolphins with 19 points, including three 3-pointers, to offset Hamilton senior captain Sydney Blevins, who finished with a game-high 21.
“We made sure we didn’t overlook them,” Lagway said. “This was for the four seniors. I wanted to send them out the right way because next year it’ll be me.”
One of those seniors was point guard Alexis Pettis, who had 12 points, eight assists and four steals. Another was forward Ivy Scott, who had 11 points and repeatedly outhustled the Yankees for transition layups. Her putback at the buzzer gave the Dolphins a 10-point halftime lead.
“This title is better than the others because the coronavirus brought us all closer together,” said Scott, who will try to walk on at UC Santa Barbara. “I’m glad I was able to play my senior year because for a while it didn’t look good.”
The other two seniors, forward Rose Morris and shooting guard Sammie Arnold, played in-your-face defense and cleaned up the glass. Morris hit a clutch 3-pointer to force overtime in the Division I final in 2019 and Palisades would go on to edge Carson 60-57 to start their dynasty. Arnold almost skipped her last season but decided to give it a go one more time with her sisters, sophomore twins Taylor and Elise.
“It’s tough to put into words but I’m proud of everyone,” she said. “I had to take a different role this year. I didn’t care if I scored zero points or 20 points. Seven or eight of us played together at Paul Revere and it’s nice that everyone was able to play today.”
As the final second ticked off, junior guard Sydney Meskin dribbled to the top of the key and slammed the ball down on the court, letting it bounce high above her head. Then, she rushed to the bench to celebrate with her teammates.
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