Boys’ basketball: Gritty Dons pull off their second straight upset

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I sense a change in The Times’ rankings next week ... and Dominguez could be on its way up the ladder.

For the second consecutive game, and by the exact same score, the Dons upset a higher-ranked team on Saturday in one of the marquee games of the Pangos Dream Classic at Long Beach City College.

Keala King scored 21 points, including a pair of free throws with 0.9 seconds left that lifted No. 7 Dominguez over No. 5 Etiwanda, 58-56. King finished 11 of 12 from the free-throw line as the Dons ended the hotly contested game on an 8-0 run.

Senior guards Willie Mebane and Tim Pendergraph each missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with less than 15 seconds left, allowing Dominguez guard Myron Green to tie the game with a free throw at the other end with 8.8 seconds to go.

Green’s go-ahead free throw rimmed out, but Etiwanda failed to control the rebound and King was fouled hard on his way to the basket, setting up his winning foul shots.

The Eagles (10-3), trying to rebound from Tuesday’s 63-61 loss to No. 8 Taft at the Modesto Christian Holiday Classic, used a 12-0 run to forge a 46-41 lead with 6:19 left and seemingly had control of the game. But their inconsistency at the free-throw line (7-for-14) ultimately cost them.

Darrell Espy had 13 points and Dominick Lacoste hit three three-pointers for the Dons (11-4), who beat No. 3 Fairfax, 58-56, on Tuesday at the Les Schwab Invitational in Oregon.

Christian Katalua had 14 points while DeRonn Scott had 13 and Perris Blackwell added 11 points and 11 rebounds for Etiwanda, which led, 42-41, going into the fourth quarter.

-- Steve Galluzzo