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Harvard-Westlake (Calif.), De La Salle (Calif.) advance to Hoophall West title

Collin-headshotby: Collin Ginnan01/04/25
Syndication: Desert Sun
Harvard-Westlake's Nikolas Khamenia walks off the court after his team defeats Bellevue in the Desert Holiday Classic in Rancho Mirage, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024.

Studio City (Calif.) Harvard-Westlake and Concord (Calif.) De La Salle have advanced to the Hoophall West Classic title game, scheduled to take place 9 p.m. Mountain Time Saturday in Phoenix, Arizona.

Harvard-Westlake fought to a three-point win over national top-10 Gonzaga (D.C.) behind a 19-point effort from 2026 four-star shooting guard Joe Sterling. Sterling was 7-of-13 from the field and 3-of-5 from three-point range.

Two additional Wolverines reached double-digits — Duke small forward signee Nikolas Khamenia (16 points) and Isaiah Carroll (10 points). Sterling and Carroll led the team with four rebounds each while Sterling also led with five assists.

Harvard-Westlake improved to an impressive 17-1 on the season and opened the Hoophall West Classic with an upset over Perry (Ariz.), the No. 4 team in the country. The Wolverines’ lone loss came to Timpview (Utah), a top-150 program nationally.

In the other Hoophall West semifinal, De La Salle beat Saint Louis Chaminade 58-48, despite shooting just 1-of-7 as a team from three-point range. Oklahoma SF signee Alec Blair recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds — the team lead in both categories. He also led the team with six assists.

Ibrahim Monawar and David Balogun both scored 14 points for the Spartans.

With the win over Chaminade, De La Salle kept its perfect record alive and moved to 14-0. To kick off this tournament, the Spartans took down Duncanville (Texas) — a top-50 team in the country.

Harvard-Westlake is currently the No. 6 team in America and the No. 2 squad from California in the On3 Composite High School Top 25 rankings. De La Salle is the No. 78 program nationwide and the No. 12 team in the Golden State.

The On3 Composite High School Basketball Team Ranking is a proprietary algorithm that compiles rankings listed in the public domain by respected High School media and data companies. It includes Massey, Max Preps, ESPN and SI, creating the industry’s most comprehensive and geographically balanced High School Team Ranking.

More about Hoophall West from the event website:

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Hoophall West High School Invitational annually features the top high school players and teams from across the country.