There were so many ties to the NBA at Friday night’s Mission League basketball championship game between Harvard-Westlake and Crespi that Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley could have been spotted in the Harvard-Westlake parking lot.
From Lakers legend Derek Fisher coaching Crespi to the son of Robert Horry, Christian Horry, firing in three three-pointers in the first quarter for Harvard-Westlake, it was an NBA-like fantasy show. It got even weirder in the third quarter when the son of former NBA player Matt Barnes, Carter Barnes, picked up a technical foul. Then his dad started debating student announcer Jake Lancer during the school’s live stream broadcast, briefly delaying the game.
There was no lack of entertainment for fans as Harvard-Westlake (26-3) came away with a 72-54 victory to lock up the No. 1 seed for the Southern Section Open Division playoffs when pairings are announced at noon Sunday.
Robert Hinton scored 19 points, Horry and Nikolas Khamenia had 14 points and Trent Perry 12 points for the Wolverines. Hinton and Perry combined on an 8-0 run to start the third quarter that turned a 12-point lead into a 20-point cushion. The Celts (23-7) would never recover. Joe Sterling scored 24 points for the surprising Celts, who probably will earn a No. 1 seed for the Division 2AA playoffs after earning their way into the Mission League tournament final with an upset win over Sierra Canyon in the semifinals.
Hinton’s rise this season is a major reason Harvard-Westlake is back in the running to repeat as state Open Division champion. He’s sticking with his commitment to the Ivy League’s Harvard even though he could probably play for a lot of top teams next season. First, he wants to become a lawyer, so that helps.
“A really talented kid,” Harvard-Westlake coach David Rebibo said. “He showed loyalty in his recruiting in that Harvard spotted something early. He appreciated that.”
Hinton played for the Chinese Taipei national team in the summer and learned many lessons.
“I spent so much time around professional basketball players, seeing how they took care of their bodies,” he said.
Hinton is jumping, rebounding and shooting way better in his senior season.
For Crespi, the loss will hardly derail its season. A team that starts four underclassmen has been rising under Fisher, a former Lakers guard and NBA coach.
Crespi coach Derek Fisher was trying to rally his team against Harvard-Westlake.
(Craig Weston)
“They have aspirations to go where I’ve already been,” he said. “It gives me a purpose.”
Eastvale Roosevelt 63, Corona Centennial 50: Brayden Burries finished with 31 points for Roosevelt, the Big VIII League champion.
Palisades 67, Hamilton 59: The Dolphins finished second in the Western League and won 11 of their last 14 regular-season games. Jordan Farhadian scored 15 points.
Fairfax 51, Westchester 45: Romello McRae finished with 15 points to help the Lions end the regular season with a four-game winning streak.
LACES 61, Venice 51: Ryan Conner, Ian Hunter and Donovan Cornelius each scored 13 points for LACES.
Washington Prep 55, King/Drew 54: The Generals won the regular-season finale and helped their resume for a possible City Section Open Division playoff spot. Briyan Aldridge scored 26 points for Washington Prep.
Sun Valley Poly 76, Monroe 21: Julian Spinoza led the Parrots with 19 points.
Cleveland 74, Chatsworth 69: The Cavaliers pulled out the win in overtime and will go into the City Section Open Division playoffs as the West Valley League’s No. 1 seed. Alijah Arenas had tied the score at the end of regulation for Chatsworth but fouled out in overtime.
Birmingham 64, Granada Hills 62: The Patriots won in overtime to earn a share of the West Valley League title.
Bernstein 84, Dorsey 62: Troy Agtang scored 29 points for Bernstein.
Windward 77, Brentwood 66: The Wildcats (25-3) made their case for an Open Division playoff berth, going unbeaten in the Gold Coast League.
Viewpoint 60, Campbell Hall 59: Wesley Waddles scored 19 points and made a shot at the buzzer to give Viewpoint the league win.
Girls’ basketball
Westchester 70, Fairfax 9: The Comets shared the Western League title with Hamilton. Kyana Davis, Mariah Blake, Maya Kama and Savannah Myles each had 11 points.
Hamilton 69, Palisades 55: Alyssa Ramirez scored 20 points for Hamilton.
Hart 65, Canyon Country Canyon 48: The Indians won the Foothill League title behind junior Morgan Mack, who had 27 points and nine rebounds.
San Pedro 50, Carson 45: The Pirates won the Marine League title. Shalia Coleman finished with 23 points.
Ontario Christian 83, Aquinas 37: Kaleena Smith had 31 points for Ontario Christian.
Brentwood 60, Windward 50: The Eagles (8-0) won their first Gold Coast League title. Angelica Pascual scored 26 points.
Birmingham 64, Granada Hills 50: The Patriots won their first West Valley League title, going 10-0. Deedee Berry scored 18 points.
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