Ibekwe Impressive in 75-57 Victory Over Taft

With 23 points, 13 rebounds and four dunks, 6-foot-9 junior center Ekene Ibekwe of Carson High turned in a dominating performance Wednesday in a 75-57 boys’ basketball nonleague victory over Woodland Hills Taft.

Despite facing double teams and getting poked and prodded, Ibekwe put on an entertaining show of basketball talent in front of coaches from UCLA and Boston College to help Carson (4-2) win an important game against a Taft team favored to win the West Valley League championship.

“These are the kind of things he can do,” Carson Coach Richard Masson said. “He has to be able to play through being mugged a couple times, just like Shaquille O’Neal. That goes with the territory.”

Taft (4-2), which received 30 points from guard Mustafa Asghari, closed to within 38-36 midway through the third quarter before Asghari went cold.

He made 10 of 30 shots and didn’t have his usual energy because he has been fasting for the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. It also didn’t help that Taft played without All-City guard Steve Smith, who is resting his knees for a week after a long football season.