High School

CIF high school basketball: Harvard-Westlake debuts new faces, Joe Sterling shoots lights out (11/19/24)

Sterling, a junior transfer from Crespi, made seven 3-pointers in his Harvard-Westlake debut at home.

Tarek Fattal

Harvard-Westlake guard Joe Sterling scored 25 points including seven 3-pointers in his debut Tuesday night at home.
Harvard-Westlake guard Joe Sterling scored 25 points including seven 3-pointers in his debut Tuesday night at home. / Tarek Fattal

STUDIO CITY, CALIFORNIA - Harvard-Westlake will contend for another CIF Southern Section Open Division title this season, but it will be with new faces.

Trent Perry and Christian Horry are at UCLA. Robert Hinton is at Harvard. Everyone knows about returning senior Nik Khamenia — a Duke commit — but certainly he can’t win it all on his own. Where will the production come from this upcoming 2024-25 season?

The No. 2-ranked Wolverines provided some answers in their 96-53 season opening victory against Temecula Valley at home Tuesday night.

Junior Joe Sterling, a transfer from Crespi, turned in an impressive debut with 25 points, including seven 3-pointers (on 10 attempts).

“I’ve been with this team since June, so it doesn’t feel new, but it did feel good to put the jersey on and play an official game. Now we get the season rolling,” Sterling said.

Junior Amir Jones had 19 points, and maybe the biggest surprise was 6-foot-9 junior Barron Linnekens, who notched 16 points and 13 rebounds.

“Barron has taken a big leap,” coach David Rebibo said. “But so has everyone else — even Nik (Khamenia).

Khamenia was brilliant, notching 19 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists in three quarters. Harvard-Westlake held a 78-45 lead at the end of the third frame.

“He’s a walking triple-double,” Rebibo said of Khamenia.

With Perry, Hinton and Horry gone after helping Harvard-Westlake win back-to-back CIF State Open titles, there are more minutes to go around for young returners like Jones, Linnekens, sophomore guards Cole Holden and Pierce Thompson, and junior center Dom Bentho.

Jones, who’s grown to 6-foot-3, could emerge as a major threat in addition to Sterling and Khamenia from the perimeter. He knocked down three 3-pointers, hit a few mid-range jumpers, and also had a steal for a dunk.

“That is who we knew Amir could be. We’ve just been trying to push buttons constantly,” Rebibo added.

Senior wing Isaiah Carroll didn’t play due to injury, but is expected to return within a week Rebibo says. Temecula Valley’s Jeremiah Profit scored a team-high 16 points.

SCORES, NOTABLE STATS - NOV. 19

Saugus 64, Maranatha 52: Max Guardado had 27 points and 10 rebounds in the Saugus win. Bryce Mejía added 17.

Long Beach 54, Beverly Hills 36: Cal commit Jovani Ruff had 14 points and nine assists. Isaiah Johnson score a a game-high 18 for Beverly Hills.

Viewpoint 67, Moorpark 49: Aeneas Grullon had 19 points. Wesley Waddles notched a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Eastside 67, Santa Clara 33: Joshua Songer led the way with 22 points for Eastside.

Rancho Cucamonga 84, Arlington 60: Aaron Glass poured in 31 points with six rebounds and four assists.

Crespi 65, Rancho Christian 59: Peyton White led the Celts with 26 points. Isaiah and Carter Barnes each scored 12.

Village Christian 65, Cleveland 55: Delijah McAlpin tallied 19 points and 11 rebounds. Cleveland’s Kamari King had 13 points in the loss.

Notre Dame 84, San Gabriel Academy 44: Lino Mark had 26 points and NaVorro Bowman added 17. Tyran Stokes did not play (wrist),

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Tarek Fattal, SBLive Sports
TAREK FATTAL

Tarek Fattal has been covering high school sports since 2015 in Southern California and primarily in Los Angeles, covering notable athletes such as Bronny James, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Alyssa Thompson. He was with the LA Daily News for eight years, which included being the beat reporter for the UCLA men's basketball team. Tarek can be seen on TV regularly on CBS/KCAL as a sports analyst with Jim Hill.

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