Harvard-Westlake wins 6th straight league title
STUDIO CITY >> Harvard-Westlake player Christian Horry made it known from the onset of Friday night's game against Crespi that the Wolverines were coming for the Mission League title.
The senior sharpshooter hit three 3-pointers in a row early in the first quarter to set the tone for the Wolverines, who defeated Crespi 72-57 to claim the Mission League championship.
“It felt fantastic, especially in a matchup as big as this to set the tone early,” Horry said. “That's one thing we've been struggling with, setting the tone early and expanding off it. So to come out like that and put our team in a good position, it felt great.”
In combination with Horry, who finished the game with 14 points and four 3-pointers, Harvard-Westlake's experienced backcourt of Robert Hinton and Trent Perry ignited the offense.
Hinton showcased his midrange jumper and Perry flashed his all-around-game, dishing assists to teammates, crashing the glass for rebounds and maneuvering through the lane to score.
Hinton credited his father for his midrange expertise, saying the two spent countless hours working on that specific part of his game.
“It's a lost art, but there are so many sweet spots on every single court. As I get older, the courts get bigger and the midrange is the biggest part of the court,” Hinton said. “It's that sweet spot where no one else can guard you, combined with my athleticism, I feel I can elevate over anyone and shoot that.”
Hinton finished with 19 points and five rebounds. Perry added 12 points and five assists, and Nikolas Khamenia contributed with 14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
Crespi sophomore Joe Sterling scored a game-high 24 points and freshman Isaiah Barnes totaled 16 points and five rebounds.
The win secured HarvardWestlake's sixth consecutive league championship and the second in the Mission League Tournament format.
“The Mission League is one of the toughest, if not the toughest league in the country. For us to be on top of it for six years, it's big time,” HarvardWestlake head coach David Rebibo said.
“It's a testament to our school's commitment to helping foster great student-athletes, and bigger than that, it's a testament to our players who are committed and sacrifice for each other. I couldn't be prouder.”
Harvard-Westlake and Crespi will await the CIF Southern Section's playoff selections which will be announced Sunday.
The Wolverines are a lock to make the Open Division playoffs. Crespi will likely be the top seed in Division 2AA.
While the Mission League championship was one of the goals for Harvard-Westlake this year, there are still two more to go.
“It's only one down for us. There's three goals this season: It's Mission League, Southern Section and State,” Hinton said.
“This is one down and I'm so proud of our guys and we worked so hard for this but, now it's on to the next goal.”