VALLEY BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : North Hollywood Loses 1st Game in 2 Overtimes

North Hollywood High basketball Coach Steve Miller found some consolation in the Huskies’ first loss, a 65-63 double-overtime defeat to Sacramento Kennedy in the second round of the Las Vegas tournament Monday.

“When you play in tournaments of this magnitude, sometimes you get more out of losing a close game than you do out of blowing somebody out,” Miller said. “For us, we learned the importance of not giving up.”

North Hollywood’s Arthur Lee missed a 17-foot jump shot with 10 seconds to play in the second extra period as the Huskies (11-1) fell into the consolation round.

The Huskies had rallied from a four-point deficit with less than 30 seconds to play in the first overtime and nearly accomplished the same feat in the second. Lee’s missed shot came after Kennedy’s 6-foot-11 center Mike Stewart missed the front end of a one and one with 13 seconds left.

Lee finished with 18 points, and guard F.J. Johnson added 15.

The Huskies’ Damon Ollie sank the second of two free throws with 29 seconds in regulation to forge a 53-53 tie.

Ollie’s offensive rebound basket and two free throws by Lee--both coming in the final 19 seconds--allowed North Hollywood to come back from a 57-53 deficit in the first extra period.

In another Las Vegas tournament game:

Huntington Beach 64, Chatsworth 38--Forwards Matt Ambrose and Tony Gonzalez combined for 35 points and 24 rebounds for Huntington Beach (8-2). Chatsworth (5-7) was led by Philbert Hernandez, who had 10 points. Center Brady Mertes scored only four points.