Woodland Hills Taft defeats Palisades, 78-59, in City Section boys’ semifinal

Three technical fouls. Two flagrant fouls. Players and coaches mouthing off to officials. Yes, it wasn’t the finest moment in City Section basketball Friday night during the Division I semifinals at USC’s Galen Center.

Top-seeded Woodland Hills Taft emerged with a 78-59 victory over a young Palisades team that will be tough to beat in 2012. But the question for everybody should be whether lessons were learned.

Senior guard Khiry Williams of Taft is lucky he’ll be able to play next Saturday in the final against Westchester because he started yelling with so much emotion at an official after he wanted a foul called in the fourth quarter that he easily could have been assessed two technicals and suspended for the next game.

For the record: An earlier version of this report said Khiry Williams started yelling at an official after he was called for a foul. Williams yelled when he believed he was fouled.

Coach Derrick Taylor left him in the game, and Williams responded with two quick baskets to ignite the sluggish Toreadors (26-2), turning a precarious 10-point lead into a rout. He finished with 20 points, the same as guard Spencer Dinwiddie.

Williams understood afterward that he lost his composure.

“Lesson learned,” he said. “I almost jeopardized the win and my team. I can’t do it again.”

Usually, high school players who pick up a technical for ranting at an official are removed. Taylor decided otherwise.

“It was out of character for Khiry,” Taylor said. “Khiry rarely blows his cool, so his credibility stands for something with me.”

Palisades (18-13) was in even worse shape with the officials. Kahlil Johnson was called for two flagrant fouls, so he’ll have to miss the Dolphins’ state playoff opener. And when the Dolphins were called for two technicals within six seconds of each other in the third quarter, an eight-point deficit was turned into a 50-34 disadvantage.

Palisades Coach James Paleno didn’t blame the officials for his team’s loss. “We didn’t perform well,” he said. “We lost our composure.”

The officials didn’t have their finest hour. A technical called against Palisades’ Malcolm Creer for seemingly acting mean toward Dinwiddie didn’t appear warranted.

“He looked at a guy who he’s going to be playing at Colorado with and went to elementary school with,” Paleno said.

Palisades got another technical when an assistant coach stood up on the bench. It was the Dolphins’ first semifinal appearance since 1996, so a little inexperience was expected. They clearly have some terrific juniors, led by Donovan Johnson, who scored 15 points. Also impressive were juniors Tyler Duke and Brenden Otero, who made contributions off the bench.

“That’s a heck of a team to reckon with next year,” Taylor said.

The City championship game next weekend between No. 1 Taft and No. 2 Westchester was long expected. Westchester (26-6) took care of Washington, 67-58, in the other semifinal. The Comets received 14 points apiece from Robert Gsellman and Domonique Evans and 12 points from Joshua Wilson. Chris Brown and Ralph Harvey Jr. scored 17 points apiece for Washington (22-7).

Taft is playing in its fourth consecutive final but has twice lost in the championship game to Westchester, which has won 11 City titles under Coach Ed Azzam. Taylor is 0-3 in title games against Azzam.

“I’m in good company,” Taylor said. “Outside Willie West and Harvey Kitani, everybody’s lost to him. I’m hoping to join that rare elite to beat him in the playoffs.”

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