Harvard-Westlake Handles Centennial

Evan Harris scored eight consecutive points during a decisive three-minute stretch of the fourth quarter Saturday to lift North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake to a 74-63 victory over Compton Centennial in the Southern Section Division III-A boys’ basketball final at the Arrowhead Pond.

Top-seeded Centennial (28-3) lost for the fifth consecutive year in the section championship game, including an overtime defeat at the hands of the Wolverines last season.

Harris, a 6-foot-9 senior, finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. Alex Stepheson, a 6-8 sophomore, had 16 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Second-seeded Harvard-Westlake (22-7), which has won 10 in a row, outrebounded the Apaches, 38-23.

Centennial’s strategy was to rely on its outside shooting, and the Apaches led by as many as 10 points in the first half. Sophomore Tyre Thompson scored 35 points and contributed five of Centennial’s 10 three-point baskets.

But Centennial started missing shots midway through the fourth quarter, and the Wolverines pulled away.

-- Eric Sondheimer