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PHS Bulldogs Drops Final to Harvard Westlake, 68-58
Pasadena Independent Mar 07, 2017
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Brown checks the clock. – Courtesy photo
Will play at Heritage Christian in state tournament on Wednesday
By Christian Romo
There aren’t many games where Bryce Hamilton isn’t the best player on the court. His strength driving to the basket and poise in the air is often so unstoppable that he makes inside defenders look like helpless mannequins contesting his shots. The Pasadena junior may have even been the best player on the floor Friday night, recording a double-double and scoring a game-high 30 points. But hoisting a season-high 33 shots, he was the Bulldog’s only offensive threat, and he wasn’t threatening enough against the defending state champions.
The Harvard-Westlake Wolverines (21-11) defeated PHS (24-6), 68-58, Friday night at Azusa Pacific University to claim the CIF Southern Section Division 1A championship, the tenth in their program’s history. The Wolverines used ball movement, interior defense, and an explosive start to put them in the top seed for the Division 1 state playoffs.
The Wolverines were bigger, quicker, and better organized than the Bulldogs, jumping out to a 24-9 lead late in the first quarter. PHS’s forwards struggled on the glass against HW’s big men, especially against freshmen Mason Hooks and Terren Frank, who should both dominate the Mission League for the next three seasons. It didn’t help that PHS rotated only six players for the majority of the game, easily tiring against HW’s bigger and deeper bench.
HW’s perimeter defense wiped out 3-point opportunities in the first half, forcing Hamilton into isolation drives on the majority of PHS’s possessions. The Wolverines, on the other hand, consistently found open shooters, forcing PHS defenders to either contest shots or call back an extra defender to box out bigger Wolverine rebounders. Neither strategy worked, and the Wolverines built at 20-point halftime lead. The Bulldogs didn’t lie down after the break, however.
PHS’s defensive strategy in the 2nd half was simple: don’t let the Wolverines shoot. Junior Darius Brown recorded three of his game-high six steals early in the third quarter, setting up transition buckets and shocking life into the PHS bench. Their offensive strategy, meanwhile, was even simpler: get the ball to anybody but Bryce. Sophomore Darius Mason recorded two baskets and an assist while junior Jesse Watkins knocked down two threes to cut the lead to 11. Hamilton still got his looks, but better ball movement found open shots as PHS outscored HW 19-10 in the third. And after watching league rivals Burbank come back from 10 points down only a couple hours before against Brentwood (only to lose in overtime), a fourth quarter comeback seemed not just possible, but likely.
And then the Wolverines put their bigs back in, tightened their defense, and did just enough in the fourth to secure a win. PHS outscored HW in the final quarter as well, cutting the lead to 8 with two minutes to play, but a series of missed shots from Hamilton and a ferocious windmill dunk from sophomore Cassius Stanley punctuated the Wolverine’s sound championship performance.
This wasn’t the end of the 2017 Bulldogs, who will enter the state playoffs Wednesday night as the number 13 seed. And even if their state tournament run falls short, they’ll retain most of their roster next year, graduating three seniors and getting back all five starters for one more run at a title. But most importantly, they’ll welcome back Hamilton, who will assuredly be the best player on the floor in every game he plays next season.
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