Prep Basketball Playoffs: Joe Sterling & Co. Lead Harvard-westlake Past La Mirada

Joe Sterling is nan proprietor of truthful galore headbands (more than 20) that he could usage an NIL woody erstwhile he reaches his adjacent destination, nan University of Texas astatine Austin. He besides should make judge his shoes don’t malfunction for illustration they did successful nan 2nd 4th Tuesday nighttime against La Mirada.

With his achromatic headband moving and his footwear repaired, Sterling helped lead a 2nd half surge by Harvard-Westlake that resulted successful a 71-57 victory, sending nan Wolverines into nan Southern Section Open Division title crippled Saturday.

The Wolverines (26-5) will play chap Mission League rival Sierra Canyon (26-1) astatine 6 p.m. astatine Toyota Arena. Sierra Canyon defeated Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 70-46 successful nan different semifinal. Do nan Wolverines person immoderate chance of toppling nan top-seeded Trailblazers?

“If we didn’t person a chance, we wouldn’t show up. We’re showing up,” Harvard-Westlake coach David Rebibo said.

Sterling vanished pinch 25 points and was supported by Amir Jones and Cole Holden, each of whom scored 14 points. Dominique Bentho played a large domiciled successful Harvard-Westlake’s second-half surge, scoring six of his 8 points successful nan 4th quarter. The Wolverines trailed 36-34 astatine halftime, past started nan 3rd 4th connected an 8-0 tally and led 56-43 pinch 8 minutes left.

The large accommodation nan Wolverines made was making La Mirada’s Gene Roebuck activity a small harder. Roebuck vanished pinch 29 points and was punishing nan Wolverines pinch his spot driving and drafting fouls. Harvard-Westlake tried to tyre him retired successful nan 2nd half denying him nan shot and pushing him distant from nan basket.

“He’s a bulldog,” Rebibo said.

Harvard-Westlake has intelligibly gotten its mojo backmost aft losing 3 of its past 4 regular-season games and now reaching nan final.

“The play is long,” Rebibo said. “We deed our lull. We sewage to deed nan reset button.”

Said Sterling: “We utilized it arsenic motivation. We were playing done nan adversity.”

The Wolverines are playing loose pinch thing to lose. They were laughing and smiling earlier nan game. The 1 advantage they mightiness person Saturday is that Sierra Canyon has played truthful galore location games successful February that nan players mightiness not retrieve what playing extracurricular of Chatsworth looks like.

Girls

Sierra Canyon 66, Etiwanda 62: Down by 18 points astatine halftime, Etiwanda made a frantic comeback, coming wrong 2 points pinch 2 seconds near until Sierra Canyon’s Jerzy Robinson clinched nan Open Division semifinal triumph pinch 2 free throws. She vanished pinch 24 points.

Sierra Canyon will play top-seeded Ontario Christian successful Saturday’s 8 p.m. last astatine Toyota Arena. Ontario Christian defeated Sage Hill 86-54.