Harvard-Westlake’s Roberts Takes Care of Alemany, 59-45

The first four minutes lived up to the billing: A close game between two of the top six high school girls’ basketball teams in the region.

Then Corrie Roberts of Harvard-Westlake entered the game.

Upsetting the balance of parity, Roberts scored 14 of her 16 points in the first half and host Harvard-Westlake rolled to an easy 59-45 victory over Alemany to take control of the Mission League race.

It was actually much uglier for Alemany (12-5, 2-1 in league play), the top-ranked team in Southern Section Division III-AA, than the final score indicates. Harvard-Westlake (15-4, 3-0), top-ranked in Division III-A, led by as many as 20 points midway through the fourth quarter.

“They dominated the game,” said Melissa Hearlihy, Alemany’s coach.

The domination started when Roberts, a 5-foot-7 senior guard, entered the game with the score tied, 8-8, midway through the first quarter.

Roberts, who did not start because she missed the last three practices while on an academic field trip to Monterrey, scored on a short jumper less than a minute after entering the game. She scored on a layup seconds later after stealing the ball from Kate Beckler, who was bringing the ball up the court.

An assist, another jumper and a free throw and Roberts--who was seven of nine from the field--was making a mockery of the game. By the end of the first quarter, Harvard-Westlake was ahead, 22-14.

“You’ve got to love that kid,” Hearlihy said of Roberts. “She just plays hard.”

Roberts, who was bothered by stomach flu, continued her tear in the second quarter, scoring the Wolverines’ first four points.

And when Alemany made a run to pull within 28-23 on two free throws by Beckler, Roberts responded with a three-point basket.

With Roberts guarding Beckler, Alemany’s leading scorer was limited to one field goal and finished with 10 points--nearly 11 points below her average.

Beckler and Kelli Kobayashi, who together average more than 34 points, were four of 35 from the field. Kobayashi finished with seven points. Alemany shot just 24% (14 of 58) from the field.

Harvard-Westlake outrebounded Alemany, 27-14, in the second half. Rolake Bamgbose had 10 of her 12 rebounds in the half.

Omelogo Udeze had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolverines, and L’Tanya Robnett had 11 points.