Fairfax Felled by Familiar Foe

In years past, a Fairfax versus Westchester playoff game would be for a section championship or a berth in the state finals. This season, however, it occurred in the quarterfinals of the City Division I playoffs.

As was the case in the teams' two Western League meetings, the second-seeded Comets (25-6) proved too much for Fairfax, winning 59-34 on their home floor Tuesday night to stay on track for a finals showdown with top-seeded Woodland Hills Taft (25-2) on March 5 at USC's Galen Center.

Seventh-seeded Fairfax (17-10) had beaten No. 10 Birmingham 78-68 in the first round last Thursday and had some momentum going into its third meeting of the season with the defending City Section and state Division I champions. However, the Lions fell behind by double digits in the first quarter and struggled to score for the remainder of the half. 

Westchester led 25-10 at the break and had stretched its lead to 20 points by the midway mark of the third quarter. Fairfax needed to win to keep its season alive and earn an automatic berth in the state playoffs. Instead, the Lions exited in the quarterfinals for the second straight year.

Last winter, Fairfax suffered a 71-56 upset at the hands of Washington Prep, which faces Westchester in the semifinals Friday at 8 p.m. at Galen Center.

Girls Basketball

The third-seeded Lions (24-8) host Taft Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the City Division I bracket. Fairfax crushed Reseda Cleveland 58-37 in Friday's first round.