Sports

It's Make-or-Break Time for Harvard-Westlake, Valley Torah in Hoops Championship Games

Both are looking to win Southern Section titles on Saturday, as Harvard-Westlake takes on Inglewood, and Valley Torah plays Bishop Diego.

It’s a basketball bonanza on Saturday, as locals Harvard-Westlake and Valley Torah look to win Southern Section championships in their respective divisions.

Both are top seeds. Harvard-Westlake faces Inglewood in the Southern Section Division III-A championship at 10:45 a.m. at Anaheim Convention Center, followed by Valley Torah versus Bishop Diego in the Div. VI-AA final at 8:30 p.m. at Mater Dei High in Santa Ana.

Harvard-Westlake (26-4) is going for its ninth section title, while Valley Torah (22-4) is trying to become the first orthodox Jewish school to win a basketball championship.

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Harvard-Westlake coach Greg Hilliard is in his 26th season – no San Fernando Valley coach has won more section titles -- and through all of his successes including two state titles, he says there is nothing like championship week.

“It’s just really exciting,” he said. “Even though I’ve been there a few times, for most of the kids it’s always their first time, and they’re excited. You can see it in the way they’ve changed, the way they’ve been acting all week. You kind of stop and realize it’s all new to them, and they’re on cloud nine. That gets you every time.”

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Harvard-Westlake features a talented front court consisting of Damiene Cain, Josh Hearlihy and Zena Edosomwan – all of whom are 6-foot-7 or taller and average more than 14 points – but when the pressure is on, you never know who is going to step up, Hilliard said.

“That’s always the fun of it,” he said. “If you were a betting man, you would think it’s going to be someone from the big three, but I’ve been doing this long enough to know that a lot of times it’s a key guy you least expect on a big stage in a big moment. That can be anybody.”

Inglewood is a free-shooting team that loves to launch 3-pointers. Overall, the Sentinels have made 146 of 361 3-pointers for a success rate of 45 percent – very impressive for a high school team. Rhon Mitchell, a 6-5 senior, averages 15.5 points, though he was held to a season-low five points in a semifinal win over Crespi.

A 10:45 a.m. tipoff seems like an early start, but not for Harvard-Westlake because the Wolverines have won several titles through the years in the opening 9 a.m. slot.

“I don’t know why we graduated to 10:45 because 9 a.m. is our usual slot, and it became kind of our signature,” Hilliard said. “I remember one year against Morningside, they arrived 20 minutes late and nearly had to forfeit. They had to jump right on the court, and the next thing they knew, we were leading 20-1.”

Inglewood (24-6) lost four of seven games during one midseason stretch, but the Sentinels have come on strong by heading into the final with an eight-game winning streak and 13 wins over the past 14.

“They’re on a great run at the end,” Hilliard said. “We’ve seen them two or three times on film, and they look like a very strong team defensively that really put the pressure on you. They pressure the guards full-court, and they’re probably going to have some strategy with our big men. They’re a strong team, and they’re very motivated. They’re expected be winners at the end just like we do.”

Though Harvard-Westlake is the No. 1 seed, the season has not gone perfectly smooth. The Wolverines were riding an 18-game winning streak heading into the final stretch before losing two of the final three regular-season games to blow a chance to win the Mission League title outright instead of sharing it with Div. I-A Loyola.

“Unfortunately, we kind of hit our low point at the end of the regular season, but in the playoffs we’re rediscovering how to play together and share the ball,” Hilliard said. “We’ve been getting back to the things we had done earlier, and our assists are up and our turnovers are down, and those are all good signs because we didn’t finish like that and have had to battle.”

SMALL SCHOOL WITH BIG PLANS

Meanwhile, Valley Torah, a small school heavily focused on Jewish studies, was never known as a sports powerhouse until the arrival of Aaron Liberman, a 6-foot-9 senior who averages 18 points, 11.3 rebounds and 8.8 blocks. He figures to play a key role once again, as Bishop Diego does not have a starter taller than 6-3.

“I’m playing this game to win. I’m very focused on winning,” Liberman said.

First-year coach Robert Icart said the small North Hollywood campus is buzzing with excitement and that championship posters have been handed out to Jewish business from the Valley to Hollywood to downtown Los Angeles. Plus, students from every Jewish elementary school and middle school have been invited with shuttle busses for fans scheduled to leave from Valley Torah at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

“We’re trying to get this done, and the kids are pumped up,” Icart said. “Oh man, the energy, it’s amazing. The whole school is fired up. Even the janitor is sweeping with a smile. Everyone is jazzed up.”

The all-boys school consists of 83 students, and all of them figure to show up.

“Everyone knows each other, and everybody is happy to be in the championship game,” Liberman said. “It’s been a great ride so far, and we want to end strong.”

Liberman said he and his teammates have total trust in Icart.

“He’s the best. He has not steered us wrong yet,” Liberman said.

Some of Valley Torah’s other top players are Nathanial Lieberman, Yosef Grundman and Natanel Tzon.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME BASEBALL?

The baseball season starts today, and Harvard-Westlake opens at 3 p.m. against visiting Calabasas at Franklin Field in Encino.

Harvard-Westlake features a top junior pitcher in Lucas Giolito, a 6-foot-6 right-hander who throws 96 mph and has committed to UCLA. He’ll face Calabasas’ Travis Cassidy, one of the top left-handers in the Marmonte League.

“Lucas is looking really good, and the expectation level is higher for him than it used to be,” Harvard-Westlake coach Matt Lacour said. “He’s throwing more strikes and developing secondary pitches, and he’s learning how to compete a little better. He understands he still has a ways to go.”

Some of Harvard-Westlake’s other top players are outfielders Sam Horn and Jack Flaherty, infielders Nathan Garfinkel and Jordan Orringer, first baseman Joe Corrigan and catcher Arden Pabst.

Flaherty is a freshman with a huge upside.

“He’s pretty baseball smart, and he’s pretty physical,” Lacour said. “He can do a lot of things.”


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