Extra Work on Boards Helps Harvard Clinch Share of League Title

Harvard Coach Greg Hilliard has a theory on how to win basketball games: take more shots than the opponents.

In keeping with their coach’s belief, the Saracens used second and third efforts off 26 offensive rebounds to earn a 77-62 victory over Bell-Jeff in a San Fernando Valley League game Tuesday night at Harvard. The victory allowed Harvard to clinch a tie for the league championship with three games remaining.

It doesn’t seem to bother Hilliard that the Saracens (16-3, 7-0 in league play), ranked No. 7 in Southern Section Division III, made only 38% of their field-goal attempts. It’s the shooting that Hilliard wants most.

“We’re pretty much a run-and-gun team,” Hilliard said. “I tell (the team) that if we can shoot 20 or more shots than the other team, than we will usually come out on top.”

Harvard got off 14 more attempts than the Guards (10-10, 4-3) en route to its 15-point win.

Seniors Spencer Miller and Andres Carlo dominated the boards, accounting for 27 of Harvard’s 49 rebounds. Bell-Jeff, a smaller team, had 19 rebounds.

The majority of Harvard’s points were produced off fast breaks and offensive rebounds. Harvard went out to a 62-49 lead early in the fourth quarter on Tarlin Ray’s layup off a two-pass fast break.

Damien Scott made three consecutive field goals to spark an 8-2 Bell-Jeff run, cutting the lead to 64-57. Seconds later, Bell-Jeff’s Brian Lee sank two free throws with 3 minutes 29 seconds remaining to cut Harvard’s lead to 65-60. But the Guards would get no closer. Bell-Jeff turned the ball over on its next two trips down and allowed Harvard to pull ahead, 70-65, with 2:13 to play.

Harvard converted only five of 12 free-throws in the final three minutes and finished nine of 20 at the line. Bell-Jeff trailed, 20-18, after the first quarter, and tied it on Mark Sailer’s 10-foot shot on the opening basket of the second quarter. But Harvard retaliated with a 9-0 run for a 29-20 lead it would not relinquish.

Trailing, 34-22, late in the second quarter, Bell-Jeff used a 9-2 run to cut the Saracens’ lead to 36-31 at halftime.

Harvard’s Casey Federman, who finished with 16 points, and Markus Puhvel each scored five points in the third quarter to help the Saracens maintain a 52-40 lead.

Harvard’s Miller, a 6-foot-8 center who had 14 points after the first half, finished with a team-high 17 points and 14 rebounds. Federman added 16 points.

Lee scored a game-high 18 points, and made nine of 10 free throws. Scott added 14 points for Bell-Jeff. Harvard shot 30 of 79 (38%) from the field, and Bell-Jeff was 21 of 65 (32.3%).