When Harvey Kitani takes on David Rebibo in a high school basketball coaches game, you know it's going to be a defensive game. They need defensive production, so Rolling Hills Prep and Harvard-Westlake did it for 32 minutes Saturday night at St. Francis.
Harvard-Westlake (17-2) needed four straight free throws by Joe Sterling in the final 21 seconds to hold on for a 50-46 win. The only mistake Rolling Hills Prep (13-5) made was fouling Sterling, a well-known free throw shooter. But the Huskies had no choice after Aaron Heinze's three allowed them to tie the game 48-46 with 2.6 seconds left.
Sterling finished with 16 points. Pierce Thompson scored 14 points and Dominic Bento added 11 points and 12 rebounds. Nick Welch Jr. had a strong game for Rolling Hills Prep, scoring 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Carter Fulton added 10 points.
Santa Margherita 72, Fairfax 41: The Eagles (19-2) opened up a 21-2 lead after the first quarter and cruised to the victory at St. Francis. Brayden Kayman scored 21 points, Kayden Bailey had 17 and Drew Anderson 15.
Saint Pius X-St. Matthias 67, JSerra 62: Kayleb Kearse finished as the winner with 27 points. Jayden Bales scored 30 points for Jay Serra.
Sierra Canyon 77, Phoenix St. Mary's 45: The Trailblazers (13-1) prepared to open Mission League play with a rout in Arizona. Brandon McCoy scored 18 points and Brannon Martinsen had 17.
Chaminade 70, Palos Verdes 44: Temi Olafisoye scored 17 points in the Eagles' 18-1 run.
53 Thousand Oaks, 46 Oak Park: The Lancers won their 16th straight game and remained undefeated. Gabriel Chin scored 14 points.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 67, Leighton Christian (Utah) 64: NaVorro Bowman led the Knights (13-4) with 24 points. Josiah Nance added 16 points.
Bishop Montgomery 71, Palisades 68: Austin Kirksey scored 24 points and Tarron Williams added 22 points to help Bishop Montgomery improve to 15-2. Freshman Philip Reed scored 24 points for Palisades.
Crespi 60, Modesto Christian 49: The Celts improved to 13-6.
St. John Bosco 62, Chandler (AZ) Basha 54: Christian Collins scored 31 points and Max Ellis had 22 for the Braves in the win at Arizona.
Mayfair 69, Cypress 56: Josiah Johnson's 27 points helped Mayfair improve to 8-5.
Inglewood 98, Pasadena 97: Jason Crow Jr. made the game-winning shot in overtime to finish with 51 points for Inglewood.
Girls basketball
Harvard-Westlake 51, Phoenix Desert Vista 39: Freshman Lucia Khamenia finished with 24 points for Harvard-Westlake.
Brentwood 59, Cardinal Newman 53: The Eagles improved to 9-4. Kelsey Sugar scored 24 points.
Safe 57, Birmingham 52: Kayla Tanijiri scored 16 points for Birmingham (13-3).
