La Canada Staggers Harvard-Westlake

Harvard-Westlake High’s collision course with the probable Southern Section Division III-A Division basketball champion reached its ugly end Friday night.

Rich Mandeville and La Canada turned the Wolverines away, 92-50, in a quarterfinal game at Notre Dame High.

At 6-foot-11, Mandeville was easily the most imposing force Harvard-Westlake (17-9) faced all season. Mandeville, a junior center, scored 26 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in just three quarters of play.

It was the final game for six Harvard players, including leading scorers Greg Peters, Tarlin Ray and Rob Venick.

“If we had been beaten like this by a team that we should have beaten,” Peters said, “it would have been a sour way to end. They’re a great team.”

La Canada led by 18 at halftime, and Mandeville scored eight points in less than three minutes after intermission. Three of the baskets came on dunks, the other on a jump shot. Mandeville sparked the Spartans to a 12-5 run.

“I don’t know if we felt it was anybody’s game at halftime,” Harvard Coach Greg Hilliard said. “But we thought we could make it reasonable. We knew coming in we had a 20-1 shot and just hoped something would happen.”

The Spartans (24-2) have won 19 in a row and are the top-seeded team in the bracket. After his team lost four consecutive quarterfinals, La Canada had something to prove, Coach Tom Hofman said.

“Everyone in the world is talking about a championship,” Hofman said, “except the kids. They are really focused.”

Said Mandeville: “I just felt like I could play forever.”

Harvard’s tallest player, 6-6 Alec Jordan, could not play forever, and 6-3 center Venick spent most the game jabbing elbows at Mandeville. A part-time player, Jordan seemed winded throughout the game, and he left in the fourth quarter because of a bruised right shoulder.

Yet Jordan was only mildly impressed with Mandeville.

“He’s good, but with his size he should take it up stronger,” Jordan said. “If I was lucky enough to be that size. . . .”

Harvard was whipped outside as well. Ryan Asplund, a 6-3 senior guard, scored 17 points and had two three-point baskets, both in the first quarter. Peters was held to a team-high nine points and Ray scored only two.

La Canada led, 26-9, after one quarter and 40-22 after two. Harvard’s first basket came 3 1/2 minutes into the game. La Canada’s biggest lead of the half was 22 points.

Mandeville needed a little time to gain his rhythm. He failed to score until 4 1/2 minutes into the game but still finished the quarter with eight points. Asplund made two three-point baskets in the first two minutes and scored seven points in the first quarter.