Wolverines Deliver Mission Statement

Omelogo Udeze of Harvard-Westlake High acknowledged the thought raced through her mind Thursday night.

No, not again.

With her team trailing Alemany by 13 points late in the first quarter, Udeze and the Wolverines made a collective decision to make sure this time was different.

“We picked it up because we weren’t going to have a repeat of last year,” Udeze said.

With Udeze pounding inside for 26 points and Wolverine guards scoring three-point baskets by the bushel in the second half, Harvard-Westlake rallied for a 69-53 victory over Alemany at L.A. Baptist High to take a two-game lead in the Mission League with three games to play.

Harvard-Westlake (21-4, 7-0 in league play) defeated Alemany (14-7, 5-2) for a second time this season, a feat the Wolverines had not accomplished in Udeze’s three previous seasons.

“We were so ready to play this game,” said Udeze, a senior forward and an All-Valley selection by The Times last year.

In each of the last two seasons, Harvard-Westlake and Alemany hammered each other on its home court, split the season series and shared the league championship. Last season, both teams went on to capture section titles, the Wolverines in Division III-A and Alemany in III-AA.

The Wolverines’ No. 1 goal this season was to win the league title outright. Sharing was not in their plans.

“I knew it was going to take a great effort tonight,” Coach Brian Taylor of Harvard-Westlake said. “It’s a great win for our program. Alemany has been on top for so long.

“I’m so happy, happy for the girls.”

Early, it appeared the game would follow past meetings. Alemany jumped to a 20-7 lead and was giving Harvard-Westlake fits with a scrappy defense. Kate Beckler scored nine of her 19 points in the first quarter for the Indians.

Then, suddenly, the Wolverines came to life.

Harvard-Westlake, ranked No. 4 in the region by The Times, scored the next 15 points to take its first lead, 22-20, midway through the second quarter.

Alemany responded with a 12-4 run to close out the half for a 32-26 lead.

But the second half was all Harvard-Westlake.

Udeze, who scored 16 points in the first half, scored the first six points of the second half to forge a tie, 32-32.

“She got more active,” Coach Melissa Hearlihy of Alemany said. “She was splitting [the defense] and going after the ball.”

The Wolverines tied the score again, 37-37, on a short jumper by Brooke Porter, who scored 12 points, and took the lead for good on the next basket, a layup by Udeze.

Harvard-Westlake then buried Alemany under a flurry of three-pointers, making seven of nine in the second half, including its first five.

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