Hamilton leads Dominguez over King
Jordan Hamilton transferred from Los Angeles Dorsey to Compton Dominguez in the off-season, hoping to experience a state championship run.
Hamilton fulfilled part of that goal Saturday night in the Southern California Regional Division I championship game, scoring a team-high 29 points to lead the Dons to an 83-74 victory over Riverside King at the Sports Arena.
He’ll try to cross the final wish off his list next Saturday night, when Dominguez is scheduled to play Oakland McClymonds, a 50-37 winner over Concord De La Salle, in the Division I state final at Sacramento’s Arco Arena.
Hamilton’s performance nearly mirrored his game against fifth-seeded King on Jan. 19, when he totaled 35 points and 14 rebounds in a 68-60 victory in the featured game of a showcase at UCLA. He scored 23 points in the first half of that meeting, including 15 in the second quarter.
In the rematch Saturday night, Hamilton scored 16 points in the first half, including 11 in the second quarter, leading the second-seeded Dons to a 39-34 advantage. Hamilton, a 6-foot-7 forward, helped the Dons to an early 13-6 lead when he made a three-point basket. About the only place he struggled on the court was from the free-throw line, but he took advantage of his missed attempts as well. After missing two straight midway through the second quarter, Hamilton grabbed the rebound as it rolled off the rim and dunked it for a 23-22 lead.
He later put back two offensive rebounds, then sank another short jumper in the key after he missed the front end of a one-and-one free-throw situation. A teammate pursued the rebound and passed the ball back to Hamilton for the assist.
The Dons saw their lead whittled to four late in the third quarter, but Hamilton scooped in a shot with 1:20 remaining to push the lead back to six.
With Dominguez a five-point advantage heading into the fourth, Hamilton sank two free throws in the opening minute to push the lead to seven, then grabbed a defensive rebound, leading to Bryce Cartwright’s layup and Dominguez’s biggest lead. He also showed patience down the stretch, passing up some open jump shots to kill more time off the clock and move closer to his ultimate goal.
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