Harvard-Westlake wins state title
It's the program's fourth California championship, first since 2016
SACRAMENTO >> It was like the passing of the torch.
Seniors Brady Dunlap and Jacob Huggins have been the foundational pillars for Harvard-Westlake boys basketball for the past three seasons.
Dunlap will be remembered for his stellar performance in last year's CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs, taking down Sierra Canyon on the road and dancing his way out of the gym. Huggins tallied 23 points and 17 rebounds in this year's Mission League tournament final, topping Notre Dame for a second time.
“We've been building a bond for the past three years,” Dunlap said of his team. “You can see it out there on the court.”
Saturday night, HarvardWestlake's future shined, showing the Wolverines are primed for a potential dynasty in the coming years with juniors Trent Perry and Robert Hinton, along with star-in-the-making sophomore Nik Khamenia as they rolled to a 7665 victory over Santa Maria St. Joseph in the CIF State Open Division final at Golden 1 Center.
It is the program's first state Open Division crown, fourth state championship overall and first since 2016 when it won Division IV.
Khamenia scored 16 points, Hinton added eight points and Perry tallied 16 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, breaking the CIF State Open Division finals record for assists, a mark previously held by Mater Dei's Stanley Johnson (8) since 2014.
The Wolverines might just be getting started.
“There's a strong case that the Mission League is the strongest league in California. We've won it five years in a row,” coach David Rebibo said. “But winning the Open is a whole other beast . ... We've been in the Open the last four years, we went to the finals last year, we won the regional and state final this year.”
“I think that sends a message that, yes, we are here to stay.”
Dunlap scored a teamhigh 18 points and Huggins notched 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Harvard-Westlake created separation in the third quarter when Khamenia converted on a rare four-point play after getting fouled on a corner 3-pointer to make it 52-39. Later Perry delivered a bounce pass for a Huggins dunk to keep St. Joseph at bay late in the quarter, 56-44.
St. Joseph's highly touted sophomore Tounde Yessoufou was held to 14 points on 4 of 10 shooting from the field.
When Rebibo was asked by the media what was the key to containing Yessoufou, he answered with two words.
“Nik Khamenia,” Rebibo said slowly into the microphone. “From day one, Nik wanted him.”
A Hinton baseline jumper created a 64-50 lead with just over four minutes to play, essentially putting the Wolverines (34-2) in cruise control for the rest of the game.
Harvard-Westlake also plans on cruising back to Los Angeles.
“This team decided to travel on the bus back home, together, for one last ride,” Rebibo said. “Win or lose, they wanted to be together. It tells you everything you need to know about the character of these guys and how connected they are.”