HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL NORTH HOLLYWOOD TOURNAMENT : Chatsworth Wins Behind 31 by Mertes

At 6-foot-8, Brady Mertes is accustomed to standing out in a crowd.

And getting clobbered in one.

On Friday night, Chatsworth High’s junior center took his lumps as expected against Reseda in a championship semifinal of the North Hollywood tournament.

Each time Mertes had the ball beneath the basket, Reseda dispatched several arms and bodies in an attempt to stop him from scoring.

The result was a banged-up Mertes who appeared at the free-throw line seven times.

But Mertes inflicted greater damage on the Regents with a season-high 31 points and led Chatsworth to an easy 67-53 victory.

The Chancellors (7-2) will play North Hollywood (9-1) in tonight’s championship game.

“Every game, I get this,” Mertes said. “Just last night, I got hit right in the (groin). But growing up playing against people smaller than you, you get used to it. You gotta take what they give you.”

Mertes got even at the line, sinking seven of 10 free throws with a rainbow arc on his delivery.

He scored 12 points in the second quarter as Chatsworth, which took a 6-0 lead after the opening tip and never trailed, opened a nine-point advantage.

Mertes, who scored 20 points in a first-round win over Granada Hills, made most of his points on short, soft jump shots and inside layups. He also blocked three shots without leaving his feet.

“The only person on their team who can stop him is (Marquis) Burns and he’s going to get into foul trouble if he tries,” Chatsworth Coach Sandy Greentree said.

Burns, a senior who has signed to attend UCLA next season, usually devotes most of his efforts to scoring. But Burns scored a season-low 13 points and made only one field goal in the second half.

Trenton Cross led Reseda (3-3) with a season-high 18 points.

Chatsworth led, 48-38, after three quarters then made nine of 12 free throws down the stretch. Cross and teammate Jeffrey Martin made the game’s only three-point baskets in the final period.

In other tournament games:

North Hollywood 65, Grant 49--Damon Ollie and DeShawn Harvey scored 19 and 18 points, respectively, as the Huskies routed Grant in a championship semifinal.

North Hollywood (9-1) led, 33-24, at halftime and outscored Grant (5-2), 14-7, in the third quarter.

Granada Hills 72, Canoga Park 61--Four players scored in double figures for the Highlanders to more than offset Chace Johnson’s game-high 17 points for Canoga Park (1-9). Shelton Simmons led Granada Hills with 16 points. Keion Witherspoon scored 12, Omari Miles had 11 and Tyrone Jackman added 10.

Granada Hills (3-6) will face Bell-Jeff for the consolation championship.

Bell-Jeff 67, El Camino Real 64--The Guards withstood two last-minute threats by El Camino Real to advance to the consolation championship.

Bell-Jeff (5-2) led, 65-64, with 10 seconds to play when El Camino Real’s Markee Brown drove to the basket through several defenders. However, Brown, who scored 32 points, lost the ball out of bounds.

As time expired, El Camino Real’s Kenyth Henry attempted a three-point shot that caromed off the rim. Brian Lee led Bell-Jeff with 18 points, and Ignacio Castro added 17.