Trent Perry helps send Harvard-Westlake to Sacramento to play for Open Division state title

About the only thing missing from Tuesday night’s sold-out championship high school basketball game at Harvard-Westlake were MVP chants for senior guard Trent Perry, who turned in another performance for the ages.

“He refuses to lose,” Harvard-Westlake coach David Rebibo said. “He’s putting his imprint all over this place and it’s so fun to see.”

Perry finished with 28 points while making all 11 of his free throws to rally the Wolverines (31-3) from an 11-point halftime deficit to defeat Eastvale Roosevelt 63-59 in the Southern California Open Division regional final. Harvard-Westlake will face Richmond Salesian in Saturday’s 8 p.m. state championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

“My last game in this gymnasium,” an emotional Perry said after hugging his father. “I wanted to go out with my guys. I had to give it my all.”

He had 14 points in the fourth quarter as Roosevelt (31-4) was left helpless trying to come back after Perry’s three-point play with 33.6 seconds left put the Wolverines ahead by four points. Perry then made clutch free throw after clutch free throw. He hasn’t missed (26 in a row) since the Southern Section Open Division championship game when he failed on four consecutive free throws.

It was a tough ending for a Roosevelt team that twice has fought the Wolverines to the end of games. Brayden Burries scored 24 points and was matching Perry basket for basket. Issac Williamson had 13 points.

Robert Hinton kept Harvard-Westlake in the game in the second quarter with five baskets and finished with 16 points. Nikolas Khamenia, who picked up two quick fouls, had 11 of his 13 points in the second half.

Perry, who scored 42 points in a one-point win over Carlsbad on Saturday, is so locked in that he was clapping after being fouled because he knew he couldn’t miss from the line. He said afterward that at halftime, down 11, the players made a commitment.

“We came together,” he said. “We said, ‘The last 16 minutes was win or go home.’”

Now the Wolverines get the chance to repeat as state Open Division champions.

St. John Bosco 71, Mater Dei 68: The Braves prevailed in overtime to advance to the Division I championship game on Friday at 8 p.m. against San Ramon Valley. Elzie Harrington scored 24 points for St. John Bosco, which had lost twice to the Monarchs in Trinity League play. Jack Turner and Brandon McCoy had 14 points apiece.

Bishop Alemany 74, Bosco Tech 63: The Warriors are headed to the Division III championship game and will face Santa Cruz at 4 p.m. on Friday in Sacramento. Michael Lindsay, headed to Idaho State on a football scholarship and the nephew of Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, scored 23 points.

Verdugo Hills 56, Bakersfield North 53: The Dons have advanced to their first Division V championship game in Sacramento. Gianmarco Figueroa scored 15 points. They will face Athenian at noon on Friday.

Bakersfield Centennial 68, Heritage Christian 56: Dillan Shaw scored 25 points for Heritage Christian in the Division II final.

Girls

Etiwanda 54, Sierra Canyon 51: The Eagles made clutch free throws to win the Open Division championship and sweep a two-game series against the Trailblazers. Kennedy Smith and Grace Knox connected on free throws in the final minute to set up a 6 p.m. showdown with San Jose Archbishop Mitty on Saturday at the Golden 1 Center. Etiwanda won last year’s game against Mitty at the buzzer.

Jerzy Robinson had 25 points and 14 rebounds for Sierra Canyon, which put together a much stronger effort after losing to Etiwanda 65-44 in the Southern Section Open Division final.

Bishop Montgomery 71, Brentwood 68: Bishop Montgomery earned a spot in the Division I championship game against Bishop O’Dowd on Friday at 6 p.m.. Jordin Blackmon came through for Bishop Montgomery.

Harvard-Westlake 50, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 38: Sophomore Valentina Guerrero, sidelined for more than a month with a broken nose and concussion, made her first game back a memorable one, scoring 15 points to lead the Wolverines (18-18) and legendary coach Melissa Hearlihy into the Division II championship game against Colfax on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Golden 1 Center.

“I’m so excited,” she said. Guerrero broke her nose in a game against Chaminade.

Harvard-Westlake girls basketball team celebrates Southern California Division II regional win over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

(Craig Weston)

Freshman Angelina Habis contributed nine points off the bench for Harvard-Wesltake, which last won a state title in 2010. Hearlihy has 838 wins since starting her coaching career in 1985 at Bishop Alemany and arriving at Harvard-Westlake in 2000.

Granada Hills 58, Bakersfield Christian 56: The Highlanders won the Division III regional title and will play at 2 p.m. on Friday in Sacramento against Caruthers.