Not Done Yet

Pali High Boys Basketball Upsets Dorsey in City Playoff Opener

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Facing the reality that every game could be their last, Palisades High boys basketball players relished the underdog role in their City Section Division I playoff opener at Dorsey.

Determined not to let their season end, the Dolphins played as hard and as well as they have all season and got the reward they sought: a chance to keep playing.

Captain Nick Kerkorian led the way, netting a season-high 25 points and knocking down seven three-pointers in a 70-63 over the host Dons.

“My teammates did a great job getting me the ball,” Kerkorian said. “We’re playing for our seniors. We know we’re the underdogs. Nobody is picking us, but we’re moving on.”

Guard Anthony Spencer made 10 of 12 free throws and finished with 16 points, Will Janney had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists,  Graham Alphson had eight points, nine rebounds and three blocks, Cole Jacobs contributed six points and Avi Massaband added four points for the ninth-seeded Dolphins, who raced to an early 10-point lead and answered every run Dorsey made.

Kerkorian said head coach Donzell Hayes devised the perfect strategy to disrupt the Dons’ flow on offense.

“Once we saw what they were doing it was exactly what coach said,” Kerkorian added. “In the zone offense their guy flashes to the weak side every time and we just had to be ready. For us, it was about movement. Everyone was getting open and we were hitting our shots.”

Dorsey, which finished fourth in the Coliseum League, scored nine straight points at the end of the third quarter to close within five, but Cole Jacobs swished a three-pointer from the corner to spark a 7-2 run.

“When you’re 8-18 you gotta forget,” said Janney, an All-City safety in football who relished the chance for revenge against Dorsey, the team that eliminated Palisades from the playoffs in the fall. “This is a second chance for us and we have the underdog mentality. Coach prepared us well—we knew their plays. We want to mix it up and keep them off balance. We’re a great three-point shooting team. When we’re on, we know we’re going to be tough to beat.”              

Palisades, which finished fifth out of seven teams in the Western League, again played the role of David against Goliath when it traveled to No. 1-seeded View Park (the Coliseum League runner-up) in the quarterfinals yesterday. The survivor in the single-elimination tournament will tip off against the Carson-University winner in the semifinals Saturday. The championship game is March 3 at Cal State Dominguez.

The Dolphins finished third in league last season and were seeded fourth in the Division I bracket. They beat Chatsworth (56-53) and league rival Hamilton (50-40) before falling to top-seeded Crenshaw in the semifinals.