Mercy Miller leads Notre Dame to victory over Harvard-Westlake
STUDIO CITY, CALIFORNIA - Notre Dame boys basketball coach Matt Sargeant tells his team the same message often after winning the CIF State Division I title last season.
“I tell our guys all the time, we are going to get everyone’s best shot the first four minutes of the game,” Sargeant said.
Harvard-Westlake did exactly that in the opening six minutes, making five 3-pointers and creating an 11-point lead that would serve as a knockout punch against most teams.
But not Notre Dame (21-0).
Mercy Miller and the Knights weathered a first-quarter barrage before going on to take down No. 1 Harvard-Westlake 59-54 in a Mission League showdown on the road Wednesday night.
Miller, the son of rapper Master P, finished with 29 points and 11 rebounds.
“We prepped a ton for this game,” Miller said. “Watched film, paid attention to the scout and executed.”
Sophomore Caleb Ogbu had 11 points, including two 3-pointers. He also made two free throws with 10 seconds left to help seal the victory. Fellow sophomore Zach White had a pivotal offensive rebound and putback with 40 seconds left to keep Harvard-Westlake at bay.
“He was a starter for us earlier this season before hitting a little sophomore wall, but I kept telling him to stick with it and stay mentally tough,” Sargeant said of Ogbu. “For him to show up in a game like this … he’s going to be a dynamite player for us.”
Harvard-Westlake (20-2) was led by Trent Perry’s 22 points and Christian Horry’s 12 points by way of all 3-pointers. Nik Khamenia struggled, scoring just seven points in front of Gonzaga men’s basketball coach Mark Few.
Harvard-Westlake is amid a gauntlet week after playing in the Spalding Hoophall Classic on Monday in Springfield, Mass. The Wolverines played an overtime game Monday before flying out of Boston Monday night back to Los Angeles for a quick turnaround for Wednesday night’s game.
Now, they’ll play at Sierra Canyon on Friday.
In other Mission League action ...
Sierra Canyon defeated St. Francis 65-42 to stay unbeaten in league play. Noah Williams had 14 points and Bryce Cofield had 13 for the Trailblazers. Mazi Mosley had 16 for St. Francis.
Crespi topped Chaminade 80-72. Chaminade’s Bryce Goldman led all scorers with 35 points. Crespi’s Joe Sterling had 24 points.
Loyola 62 beat Alemany 62-50 thanks to 20 points from Quincy Watson.
GAME RECAP, TWEETS
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