Harvard Advances Easily in 3-A

An open microphone on the scorer’s table at Notre Dame High on Tuesday night piped an incessant ticking through large speakers at each corner of the gymnasium, keeping time with an all-too-familiar Harvard death march.

The Saracens breezed to a 79-57 victory over San Dimas in a Southern Section 3-A Division basketball game. Had that beat worked as a metronome, the fate of San Dimas might have been altered.

“We did exactly the things I didn’t want to do,” San Dimas Coach Gary Prestesater said. “I wanted to slow the ball down, to run our offense, to not let them run theirs. We got rattled the first second of the game.”

Meanwhile, Harvard’s attack was working like clockwork. The Saracens (23-2), the division’s top-seeded team, opened with a 5-0 run and never allowed San Dimas within nine points after the midway point of the first quarter.

Harvard used a one-two combination of guard Rick Osterloh and forward Matt Clark to do most of its damage. The two had accounted for 55 points Friday in the Saracens’ 109-78 blowout of Blair. Against San Dimas, Clark scored a game-high 23 points and Osterloh contributed 16, including five three-point baskets.

Intimidation, Clark said, was a decisive factor in Tuesday’s victory. San Dimas (19-8) starts four juniors and has only two players with previous varsity experience.

“They knew they were playing the first seed and I think it definitely intimidated them,” he said. “As we progress, that’s going to be less of a factor.”

Center Greg Alley scored 22 points before fouling out late in the game. Alley said he felt the pinch early. “They had too much depth and their shooting was way too good,” he said.

Paced by five steals, two three-point baskets by Osterloh and 11 points by Clark, Harvard outscored the Saints, 26-9, in the first quarter. The Saracens slacked off in the next period, only scoring nine.

A short jump shot by Chris Gregory early in the third quarter cut the advantage to 38-29, but Harvard answered with a 13-point spree, including two layups and four free throws by Clark.

Center Andres Carlo scored 14 points and reserve guard Adam Rowins added seven for Harvard.

Jamie Hamilton scored nine for San Dimas, but Kalomby Badibanga, who averages 13 points a game, was held to four.

“We didn’t even get back on defense,” Prestesater lamented. “When you can’t do that, you’re really in trouble.”