Collinses Become Double Talk of Tournament : Basketball: Bishop Loughlin players start jawing at each other while the brothers lead Harvard to 65-57 victory.

Every time Harvard-Westlake High’s Jason or Jarron Collins tapped in another basket, Bishop Loughlin’s forwards would grumble under the net.

“I thought you had him,” one frustrated defender said.

“I can’t take ‘em both,” shot back the other.

Nobody could contain the towering twins during Saturday’s third-place game in the Slam Dunk to the Beach tournament, with Harvard (9-2) beating the New York City squad, 65-57.

With Friday’s heartbreaking double-overtime loss to eventual tournament champion Roman Catholic still fresh in their minds, the 6-foot-11 brothers stepped up their games, passing the ball back and forth over the heads of their Bishop Loughlin rivals.

“When they were in there together, there was chemistry,” Harvard Coach Greg Hilliard said. “That’s tough to stop.”

At the tail end of the third quarter, the twins had the routine down pat. Jarron streaked down the court, dishing off the ball to his brother. Minutes later, Jason did the same, setting up Jarron.

Both plays ended in dunks.

“It’s hard when you have a 6-foot player playing a 6-foot-10 player,” Bishop Loughlin Coach Bob Leckie said after a somber team meeting in the losers’ locker room. “It’s all the harder when that 6-foot-10 player has a twin.”

Jason made nine of 12 shots from the field and finished with 20 points and seven rebounds.

“We really dominated the game,” he said. “We handled the pressure.”

Jarron had 10 points and four rebounds, and again struggled with fouls. After fouling out in the fourth quarter of Friday’s game, he picked up another three by the third quarter of Saturday’s contest.

“I was frustrated with the fouls,” Jarron said. “But I had fun out there. That dunk felt good.”

Harvard’s Ryan Smiley, a junior guard, added 11 points, and senior forward Alex Gelbard added seven.

Bishop Loughlin (2-4) kept the game close with the shooting of guard Reggie Jesse, the team’s top scorer who finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and a full-court press that forced several turnovers.

With two consecutive tournaments under their belts--the Wolverines won three of four games in the City of Palms tournament in Ft. Myers, Fla., before heading to Delaware--the team was eager to return home for much-needed rest, a break from the bitter cold and a chance to prepare for the upcoming Mission League season.

“Third place is much better than fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth,” Hilliard said of his team’s performance. “We’ll be coming back home with some confidence and poise on the court.”