HS HOOPS: Harvard-Westlake holds on, repeats as champion

Despite a late rally by Bishop Montgomery of Torrance, Harvard-Westlake of Studio City received a crucial layup from Skylar Tsutsui with seven seconds remaining to secure a 58-54 victory Saturday in the Southern Section Div. IV-AA girls' basketball final at The Pyramid in Long Beach.

Harvard-Westlake (30-1) held a 56-49 lead with 3:19 remaining, before the Knights (26-7) rallied behind a 3-pointer from Taylor Sansbury and two free throws by Kristen Ale to cut the deficit to two with 1:54 left.

Bishop Montgomery had two chances to tie the score, but Sansbury missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 1:30 remaining and Devon Brookshire couldn't knock down a 10-footer with 37 seconds left, giving Harvard-Westlake possession, which led to Tsutsui's layup.

Nicole Hung and Nicole Nesbit led Harvard-Westlake, which won its 26th consecutive game, with 16 points each. Janine Zelden added eight points and Sydney Haydel contributed seven points for the Wolverines, who won the Div. IV-A title last season.

The championship is the sixth in the career for Harvard-Westlake coach Melissa Hearlihy, including her third with the Wolverines, along with a 65-62 victory over Bishop Montgomery in the 2001 Div. III-AA final.