Can Downey beat Dominguez? Let's ask the Vikings' coach

Downey Coach Larry Shelton won't lie. He knows the odds look bleak. "Honestly, they're like playing a college team," he said, referring to the No. 4-ranked Dominguez Dons who will play the sub-.500 Vikings tonight/Friday in a San Gabriel Valley League showdown.

Dominguez (10-2) has just battled four elite boys' basketball squads -- Campbell Hall, Simi Valley, Taft and Gahr, all ranked by The Times, by the way. The Dons won three of those contests, losing only to No. 1 Taft.

Now it's Downey's chance for an ultimate upset. Possible? "We'll have to play above our heads," Shelton said. "We're not a scoring machine." True. Downey's leading scoring is Guillermo Botello, averaging only 13 points.

Shelton then harked back to venerated UCLA coach John Wooden in preparation for the Dominguez game: "We need to think about a Wooden Principle, where 'We're not playing against an opponent -- we're playing against ourselves.'"

Good way to look at it, Coach. Now let's see if you can pull off the ultimate upset.

-- Anthony Stitt

Comments

[Vanessa]

haha omg, guillermo botello is my brother.

[john barrs]

Whos that player number 14 that plays on the basketball at Downey High School . Is his name Adam Young He has some good moves.

[ARMANDO C]

SONORA HIGH SCHOOL CAN PLAY SOME SERIOUS TEAM DEFENSE! EVERY TOP TEAM'S LEADING SCORER FROM LA HABRA'S SACHS WHO YOUR OWN LA TIMES CALLED "KOBE-LIKE" WAS HELD WELL BELOW HIS AVERAGE. ALSO ASK TESORO OR LB WILSON WHOSE LEADING SCORERS WERE LEFT FRUSTRATED & DEFEATED. WHILE THE TEAM GETS SOME PRESS, THEY ARE LARGELY IGNORED! WHEN THEY ARE "ON", THEY PLAY THE GAME THE WAY IT SHOULD BE PLAYED. THEY ARE EASILY A TOP TEN TEAM! GET WITH IT LA TIMES!!