Dominguez’s Hamilton is King for a day in Division I regional final

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Jordan Hamilton, pictured, finished with 29 points and 12 rebounds in the Southern California Regional Division I final, leading Dominguez to an 83-74 victory over Riverside King at the Sports Arena. The Dons are Sacramento-bound, a destination that has been high on Hamilton’s list for a long while. They’ll play Oakland McClymonds next Saturday night at Arco Arena.

‘Something I’ve waited for since I started high school,’’ said Hamilton, who transferred from L.A. Dorsey in the off-season. ‘I came over here and I made it happen. I had good support from my teammates and a great coach.’’

Hamilton had 35 points and 14 rebounds when these teams last met in January, a 68-60 victory by Dominguez at UCLA.

‘When it’s time to step up, I step up,’’ he said. ‘I do what I have to do to contribute to the team. Me being a captain and floor leader out there, I get kind of amped up out there. I don’t let my emotions get to me too much, we just came out with a victory.’’

On the other end of the floor, King’s best player, Eric Wise, was wiping tears from his eyes. That’s tough to see after such a great run by the Wolves, but it shows what a competitor he is.

‘’They played better defense,’’ said Wise, who finished with a team-high 23 points and 15 rebounds. ‘They just got more stops, they out-rebounded us.’’

Dominguez finished with a 41-35 edge on the boards, but the real story was in the shooting percentage. The Dons made 31 of 55 attempts (56.4%), while King made 21 of 64 (32.8%).

-- Dan Arritt

-- Image from www.nbadraft.net/