Westchester shoots lights out against Hamilton, 79-54

Westchester's Cameron Young grabs a rebound against Hamilton. Greg Yamamoto | SL

A flurry of three-point shots helped the Comets torch the Wildcats, 79-54, in the final quarterfinal game of the 30th annual ‘Iolani Prep Basketball Classic. Westchester (Calif.) was red hot from beyond the arc all night, knocking down ten triples in the 25-point victory.

“We’re going to shoot the ball, we shoot it well,” Westchester coach Ed Azzam said on the three-point game. “We have guys who can put the ball in the basket. Our strength is in our ability to shoot the ball and get to the rim.”

Leading the team from three-point land was Layan Gooden who knocked down a game-high four treys. The 5-foot-10 guard finished with 18 points in the win.

The Comets dominated the game thanks to their ability to play up-tempo and stay aggressive. Westchester got on the board early thanks to a hustle play to save the loose ball from going out of bounds. The extra effort resulted in a wide-open three-point shot from Elijah Stewart in the corner.

Westchester was also heavily active on the defensive end. After the made three, the Comets dialed up their full court press, preventing the Wildcats from crossing midcourt in ten seconds, which resulted in a turnover.

“We try to play man the whole game,” Azzam said on their defensive aggressiveness. “We try to put pressure on the ball, deny the leads, get some steals and at least bother the other team.”

The pace was too fast for Hamilton and they quickly found themselves down 10-2 to start the game. Hamilton eventually got into the groove things, but by then the damage was already done. The Wildcats were never really in the game the rest of the way as they trailed 29-12 after the first quarter.

Helping to make the score respectable was Hamilton’s Kevon Looney, a 6-foot-10 UCLA commit. Looney scored a game-high 33 points, with 16 of those coming from the free throw line.

“It was tough, he’s a skilled player,” Azzam said on defending Looney. “He has the ability at that size to get around people. He’s a real good passer and he’s real skilled around the basket. It was tough and really difficult.”

Westchester moves on to face Roman Catholic (Pen.) in the semifinals, which will tip off around 8:00 p.m. The Comets last played in the Classic six years ago.

Reach Michael Lasquero at [email protected].