REDONDO BEACH >> It was a good first weekend for the Westchester boys basketball team.
Led by Jordan Brinson and KJ Allen, the Comets put the finishing touches on the Ryse Williams Pacific Shores Tournament with a 64-49 victory over Santa Margarita on Saturday at Redondo High.
Brinson was selected the tournament MVP. Allen, who transferred from AB Miller to Westchester, earned all-tournament honors.
“Defensive pressure picked up a little bit and threw them off,” Westchester coach Ed Azzam said. “More contested shots for them and we got the ball to the paint and got the ball inside to the big kid (Allen).
“We’re fortunate to have six, seven, eight kids that can really play. The little guard, Ky-Mani Pollard came in, Kevin Bethel …we had some great contributions.”
Brinson led the Comets with 19 points, with Allen scoring 17. Hudson added nine.
Westchester trailed Santa Margarita 15-10 after the first period and 18-10 early in the second.
Then they finally received the wake-up call.
The Comets outscored the Eagles 14-4 to take their first lead, 24-22 and took a 29-24 lead into halftime and turn up the defensive pressure in the second half and ran away with a 63-44 victory.
In the third quarter, Westchester stretched its lead to eight on a three-point field goal by Marice Tutt, for a 47-39 lead. Their lead would hit double figures on a basket from Jeremiah Tulley, 49-39.
“Offensively, this was one of our better games,” Azzam said. “We moved the ball better, got the ball to the right person at the right time, more often today, so it was a better offensive performance.”
For the first week of the regular season, Azzam is pleased with what he’s seen of Allen.
“You can’t guard him,” Azzam said. “When he’s active, you can’t guard. He’s got great feet, great hands, he’s tough as nails … we just have to find ways to get him the ball in better position.”
Allen is looking forward to developing even more chemistry with his new teammates.
“I feel like we played really well as a team, moving the ball inside and outside,” Allen said. “I’m comfortable facing up, but my advantages right now are having my back to the basket. People like to double-team, but it is easy for me to dish the ball to my teammates.
“I think it is really hard to guard us. We have a lot of inside and outside and we’re a well-rounded team.”
