Tyler Bey's strong fourth quarter seals Open Division championship for Fairfax

Bey scored 21 points with 11 coming in the fourth quarter to lead the Lions to a 76-64 LA City Section Open Division championship win over King/Drew.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- 41 years after his father Reggie Morris Sr. won an LA City Section boys basketball championship coaching Manual Arts, Reggie Morris Jr. won that same crown coaching Fairfax on Saturday.

The Lions took down King/Drew 76-64 to win their ninth City title in school history. Despite coaching in the college ranks at Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount and winning a state title at Redondo Union as a coach, Morris, a Westchester grad, called the City title triumph the best of his coaching career.

"Growing up as a City Section guy, this was always my dream and my goal to win a City title. This [win ranks] right at the top."

The Lions came out on fire on Saturday hitting five first quarter 3's to jump out to a 19-8 lead. Fairfax freshman Hudson Mayes hit two of the first quarter 3's and went on to score 12 first half points. At the break, Fairfax led 37-20 and it looked like the rout was on. 

But the third quarter belonged to King/Drew senior Kalib LaCount. The LA City Section scoring champion (he came into Saturday averaging 35.2 points per game) poured in 15 points in the third and almost single-handedly cut the Golden Eagles deficit to 10, 50-40, heading into the fourth quarter.

The Lions didn't panic though. 

"We knew they were going to make a run," Morris said. "We just had to match the run."

And that's exactly what Fairfax did as Lions senior Tyler Bey scored 11 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter to clinch the 76-64 victory. 

"In the fourth quarter we all decided to take charge," Bey said. "It was all from my teammates. They all encouraged me to keep going and not put my head down because I had a shaky first half. I appreciate my teammates for helping me stay focused."

With LaCount and freshman Donald Thompson giving King/Drew absolutely everything they had left in the tank in the fourth quarter, the Golden Eagles got to within seven points of Fairfax in the final frame, but couldn't edge any closer.

LaCount scored a game high 33 points for King/Drew. Thompson finished with 20 scoring 15 in the fourth. 

"It was the slow start and us not hitting shots in the first half [that cost us]," a disappointed King/Drew head coach Lloyd Webster said postgame. "That's pretty much that."

Bey led Fairfax with his 21 points and Mayes and sophomore David Mack each scored 16. 

"It's a great feeling to see them fight and become a team," Morris said. "Even tonight they fought. It wasn't easy."