Reseda Stuns North Hollywood in Overtime, 65-55

Two weeks ago, after his team suffered a 14-point road loss to mighty North Hollywood High, Reseda Coach Jeff Halpern was asked whether he would do something differently when his team faced the Huskies at home.

“Yeah,” Halpern deadpanned. “Win.”

Conventional wisdom being its cynical self, of course, those in the know scoffed at the idea of a Reseda upset.

Well, the Regents beam this morning.

It was no illusion. Halpern’s Regents beat the Huskies up and down the court for four quarters and then some--literally--as Reseda stunned North Hollywood, 65-55, in overtime Friday night.

“We had it in our hearts,” Reseda senior Marquis Wilborn said amid hugs, laughs and high-fives. “Everybody had it in their heart.”

Wilborn had it in more than his heart, though. He had it on his fingertips too. The 6-3 forward scored a game-high 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead an inspired effort.

No way was he the lone star on this night. Reseda put together its most impressive performance of the season. Check out Wilborn’s teammates:

Junior guard James Chen handed out 13 assists.

Sophomore forward Marquis Burns grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.

Senior guard Mike Basowski, after hitting just two of 15 from the field, nailed an NBA-distance three-point shot to tie the score, 53-53, with 1 minute 50 seconds left and force overtime.

And senior forward Mike Hawkins, in his first start in more than two weeks because of an ankle injury, scored 16 points--six in overtime--and had five steals.

The win moved Reseda (10-8 overall) into a tie for first place in the Mid-Valley League at 6-2 with the Huskies (18-3 overall). Each team has two league games remaining.

“I hate to say this,” North Hollywood Coach Steve Miller said. “But I think our guys took them too lightly.”

Reseda used a zone defense aimed at neutralizing sharp-shooting forward Harry Marks (he finished with just 12 points) and frustrating center Dana Jones, who had a team-high 19 points but played almost the entire second half with four fouls.

In overtime, it was a Reseda deluge. The Regents outscored North Hollywood, 12-2, in the three-minute period as Hawkins and Wilborn converted steals into breakaways--and backbreaker--baskets.