The rivalry between Washington boys’ basketball and Crenshaw saw another memorable chapter in Washington’s 82-81 overtime victory Friday.
City Section basketball has certainly changed because of shifting demographics, declining enrollment and the rise of charter schools, but one thing has stayed the same — the intensity level when rivals go at it. It was quite a scene on Friday night at Washington Prep, where Crenshaw faced a tough road game trying to improve to 18-1 on the season.
With fans shouting and players diving everywhere for loose balls, the two teams went into overtime after a wild regulation that saw the game twice stopped when administrators had to go onto the court to separate players.
Crenshaw’s AJ Robinson tied the game at 69-69 with a basket with eight seconds left in regulation. He had the ball again with 5.9 seconds left in overtime driving along the baseline with the Cougars down one. That’s when Washington Prep’s 6-foot-8 Esteban Mann blocked Robinson’s shot and controlled the ball as time expired, completing what could be a season-changing 82-81 victory for Washington Prep.
