Hewitt’s Long Shots Help Notre Dame Beat Ventura in 2 Overtimes

Mick Cady calls shots like Paul Hewitt’s justice. Most would call it blind luck--had he not done it twice, that is.

Hewitt, a junior forward at Notre Dame High, hit an off-balance 3-point shot at the buzzer ending regulation play to tie Ventura, then made a 19-foot jump shot to win the game in the second overtime, 69-65, Thursday night.

The victory advanced the Knights to the fifth-place game in the Beverly Hills tournament. That game, at noon Saturday, will be played against the Palisades-Beverly Hills winner.

“We started the week on Monday giving Loyola a win,” Cady, Notre Dame’s coach, said. “So I can go in there right now and tell the kids it’s justice.”

The outlook at the end of regulation was not promising. Brian Jones, the Knights’ leading scorer and best 3-point shooter, had fouled out with 20 seconds left and Notre Dame trailing, 63-60.

So, with 10 seconds left, Cady went to No. 2 on the 3-point depth chart--Mike Rimkunas--whose attempt glanced off the rim and into the right corner. Hewitt scooped the ball up and released a high-archer that, as the buzzer sounded, hit nothing but net.

After the teams played to a 2-2 tie in the first overtime, Hewitt hit a shot from just inside the 3-point line at the top of the key with 1:20 left. That, too, swished.

Hewitt finished with 11 points. Jones had a game-high 21 and Rimkunas, whose 3-point shot with 35 seconds left in regulation brought the Knights to within 3, added 12. James Borrella also had 12 for Notre Dame.

Westlake 61, Thousand Oaks 33--Kurt Schwan scored 14 points, all in the first 3 quarters, to lead the Warriors in a consolation quarterfinal game involving Marmonte League rivals.

After leading by 9 at halftime, Westlake buried the Lancers, 16-6, in the third quarter. Peter Mladina added 10 points, also in the first 3 quarters, for the Warriors, who play Crespi at 5:30 tonight in the consolation semifinals.

Crespi 66, Glendale 49--Ken Lynch scored 20 points, including 10 of 10 free throws, to pace the Celts in another consolation quarterfinal game. Lynch, a 6-foot, 5-inch senior forward, scored 14 points in the second and third quarters when Crespi outscored Glendale, 31-22.

The Celts then outscored Glendale, 22-12, in the fourth quarter on the strength of 14 free throws. Forward Pat Brady scored 12 points for Crespi.

Glendale was paced by Chad Blatchley’s 16 points and Alen Faalnik’s 11.

Royal 72, Culver City 61--J. P. Ouellette scored the Highlanders’ first 14 points, had 5 3-point shots in the first quarter and scored the basket that buried Culver City with 50 seconds left as Royal snapped a 4-game losing streak.

Ouellette finished with a game-high 32 points in the consolation quarterfinal. Russell Myers added 17 for the Highlanders, who play Redondo at 4 p.m. today.