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Frank Burlison | High School Basketball | College Basketball

Regional Open Hoops: Sensational Semifinals Set

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STUDIO CITY – The Harvard-Westlake High boys’ basketball team spotted visiting St. John Bosco the game’s first seven points and finished with 20 turnovers in a State Open Southern Regional quarterfinal on the Wolverines’ homecourt Wednesday night.

Ultimately, though, the hosts’ half-court defense was too stout, the playmaking of 6-foot-8, McDonald’s All-American Nikolas  Khamenia too fined-tuned and the Wolverines’ jump shooting too crisp for the visiting Braves, 70-55.

The win against the defending State Division I champions (who finished 26-7) advanced Coach Dave Rebibo’s squad (31-2) another step on the road to Sacramento and a March 15 opportunity to win a third consecutive State Open crown.

The Wolverines will make the 58-mile, southeast-bound trek to Eastvale Saturday to hook up with an opponent they’re more than just “familiar” with.

Waiting for them will be the 32-2 Roosevelt Mustangs, who drew the first seed in the Open Division bracket – and a bye into Saturday’s semifinals – via their 74-67, CIF Southern Section Open title win against Sherman Oaks last Saturday night in Ontario’s Toyota Arena.

Coach Steve Singleton’s team is led by its own McDonald’s All-American – Brayden Burries – as well as two guards who were all-CIF SS selections a year ago in Myles Walker and Issac Williamson.

That threesome was in the lineup last season, when the Mustangs lost to the Wolverines in the CIF SS Open final (54-47) at Cal Baptist in Riverside and the Regional Open title game 11 nights later (63-59, in HW’s gymnasium).

The teams haven’t played this season, “but we’ve followed how they’ve done, and we’ve seen them a lot because we’ve played at some of the same events this season (in Arizona and Massachusetts, in December and January),” Khamenia (pictured) said, after scoring 15 points and grabbing seven rebounds while dishing passes that led to nine baskets – seven of those 3s.

Khamenia (also all-CIF as a junior, when UCLA freshman Trent Perry led the Wolverines and was the Southern Section and State Player of the Year) and junior center Dominique Bentho (five points and four rebounds Wednesday night, despite foul trouble) were Rebibo’s only returning starters.

But juniors Amir Jones – the first backcourt sub a year ago – and Joe Sterling (a two-year standout at Crespi before making the inner-Mission League transfer) added a significant jump-shooting dimension to the Wolverines’, Khamenia-directed offense.

Isaiah Carroll (a key reserve a year ago who did a solid defensive job on the Braves’, USC-bound Elzie Harrington Tuesday night) hit a 3 that put the hosts ahead to stay (at 10-7) in the first quarter.

And Jones (20 points; four 3s; 6-8 from the field and 4-4 free throws) and Sterling (23 points; five 3s; 7-12 FG and 2-2 FTs) combined for all their 3s over the final three quarters.

After trailing by 11 points at intermission, the Braves never got closer than to within five points with 5:50 to go in the third quarter before the hosts started raining 3s.

“I thought their (the Braves’) length and athleticism bothered us early,” Rebibo said. “But once we adjusted, we started getting better shots.”

Brandon McCoy, Jr. led the visitors with 21 points while their three other best scorers – Harrington, Christian Collins and Chris Komin – missed a combined 32 of 42 shots from the field.

The Braves hit just three 3s – one by reserve Max Ellis in the second quarter and the others by Komin in the fourth quarter.

The other Saturday semifinal should be every bit as terrific, when No. 3 Notre Dame (27-7) visits Santa Maria to take on No. 2 St. Joseph (31-1).

The teams are led by “current” (California’s all-time career scoring leader, Baylor-bound Tounde Yessoufou of the hosts) and “future” (junior Tyran Stokes of Notre Dame) McDonald’s All-Americans.

The Notre Dame Knights came from 15 points down at home in the second quarter Tuesday night to pull away from San Diego Open champion Montgomery, 76-56, while St. Joseph drew a bye into Saturday’s game.

Saturday’s Norther Open semifinals have No. 4 Richmond Salesian at No. 1 San Francisco Riordan, and No. 3 Folsom (Sacramento County) at No. 2 Concord De La Salle.

The regional finals in all divisions are scheduled for Tuesday night.

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