Cleveland Hammers Out Big Victory

Nobody summoned an undertaker, but someone easily could have after watching Cleveland High drive a nail into Chatsworth’s coffin on Wednesday.

The Cavaliers, riding the shooting of forward Kent Dennis and Chatsworth’s generosity, rallied for a 68-63 victory in a West Valley League boys’ basketball game at Chatsworth.

Cleveland (17-4, 7-0 in league play) opened a two-game lead over Chatsworth (13-5, 5-2) with three games to go. The teams meet at Cleveland in the league finale on Feb. 12.

“We can relax tomorrow at practice,” Dennis said. “Everybody was pumped up for this game.”

Dennis perhaps more than others. He scored 22 points and had seven assists, capping a pressure-packed day in which he took his last exam of finals week.

The Cavaliers, ranked No. 5 in the region by The Times, took advantage of 21 Chatsworth turnovers to overtake the Chancellors after falling behind, 36-29, at halftime.

“They came out stronger because it was a must game for them,” co-Coach Adam Levin of Cleveland said of Chatsworth. “But we told our guys [at halftime] to stick together and they did.”

Cleveland trailed, 54-51, with 5:35 to play before a three-point basket by guard Kenny Mason started a 9-0 run that put the Cavaliers ahead, 60-54, with 3:44 to go.

The Chancellors, ranked No. 7, pulled to within 64-63 on Mark Cannon’s three-point shot from the right wing with 28 seconds to play.

Two free throws and a follow shot by Brian Smith at the buzzer on a missed free throw by Eric Bush sealed the affair.

“We self-destructed,” Coach Fluke Fluker of Chatsworth said. “They capitalized on our mistakes. There was a lot on the line, but I’m not even thinking about Cleveland anymore.

“This league is too tough to focus on just one team. It’s too tough to focus on something that happened in the past. Our focus now is Kennedy [on Friday].”

The Chancellors used a 13-0 run to take a 20-13 lead after one quarter. But Cleveland gradually closed the gap and pulled even, 48-48, after three quarters.

Smith finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Marlik Morris scored 18 points for Chatsworth, Cannon had 15 and Richard Harrison had 11 points and 18 rebounds.

“We put our destiny in somebody else’s hands,” Fluker said.