Overtime Doesn’t Pay

Fifteen minutes after the game was over Palisades High girls basketball coach Torino Johnson was still struggling to put into words what had happened. His Dolphins were seemingly in control with possession of the ball and a 10-point lead with four minutes to go in last Wednesday’s Western League game against LACES. Then it all went horribly wrong. The Unicorns closed the fourth quarter on a 10-0 run to force overtime, then outscored Palisades 8-1 on its home court to win, 53-46, dropping the Dolphins to 1-2 in league and 11-6 overall. “Tonight was an indication of where we can go and where we should be,” Johnson said, scratching his head in bewilderment. “This is sort of uncharted territory for us.” LACES entered the game 0-2 in league but Torino claimed its record is deceiving. “In my opinion they are the best team in our league,” he said. “They execute at a high level and we needed to prove that’s where we are.” The Unicorns employed a collapsing defense to keep Palisades’ leading scorer Dominique Scott (16.3 points, 11.5 rebounds per game) in check. When Johnson called a timeout after LACES pulled to within a basket late in the fourth quarter, Dolphins players trudged off the court with heads down, hands on hips. “The body language was no good,” Johnson said. “We looked like a defeated team out there even though we were still winning.” Eight league games remained heading into Wednesday’s contest at Westchester (result undetermined at press time) so the Dolphins’ season is far from over, but Johnson hopes he can right the ship before it’s too late. “Last year we might’ve had better talent but I think we have a better team this year,” he said. “We just aren’t playing to our potential right now. The girls just have to believe in themselves and what they can do collectively.” Boys Basketball Poor shooting was the main reason for Palisades’ 71-66 home loss to University last Wednesday. The Dolphins were just 20 of 65 from the field and missed their first eight attempts of the fourth quarter, enabling the Wildcats to surge back ahead after Palisades went on a 23-9 run in the third quarter to take its first lead. Aaron Fitts scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and Garrett Nevels added 16 points for the Dolphins (13-7, 2-1), who rebounded from their second loss to the Wildcats (the first was by three points at the San Fernando Valley Invitational) by routing host LACES 78-51 on Friday’a momentum builder heading into Wednesday’s showdown against first-place Westchester, one of the top-ranked teams in the state. Nevels led the charge with 17 points, Fitts had 12 while Rico Matheney and Adam Griffin each added 10 points and Sam Stapleton had seven assists. Girls Soccer So far the Dolphins are wreaking havoc on the Western League, having outscored their first four opponents 27-2. LACES was the latest victim, falling 6-0 last Wednesday on two goals by Natasha Burks and one apiece from Samantha Elander, Kate Rosenbaum, Meredith Kornfeind and Yasmine Tabatabai. Boys Soccer A 2-0 victory over LACES last Wednesday at Stadium by the Sea kept Palisades (4-2-1, 4-0-1) atop the Western League standings going into Tuesday afternoon’s game at Westchester, which the Dolphins won 3-1.