It’s Not Getting Any Easier, but Chaminade Finds a Way

After defeating Harvard-Westlake twice in Mission League play, no players from Chaminade thought in their most-optimistic dreams that beating the Wolverines a third time with a trip to the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim at stake would come easily.

It didn’t.

In a game that featured 11 lead changes, Chaminade was able to survive a flurry of three-point attempts by Harvard-Westlake to pull out a 60-57 Southern Section Division III-A semifinal victory Friday night at Notre Dame.

The Eagles (23-4), seeking their second consecutive title, will play Corona del Mar, a 61-46 winner over Nordhoff, in next Saturday’s final.

Scott Borchart made two free throws with 14.2 seconds left to give Chaminade a three-point lead. Alex Holmes missed a three-point attempt with four seconds left, ending the Wolverines’ season.

Harvard-Westlake (15-13) had lost by 14 and nine points in league play to Chaminade, but this time the Wolverines forced 20 turnovers with an aggressive man-to-man defense that left the Eagles in jeopardy of losing.

But in the final minute of play, Chaminade players came through. After Russell Lakey’s free throw with 57.6 seconds left put Harvard-Westlake on top, 55-54, Chris Canoles scored on a layup for a 56-55 Chaminade lead.

Then Canoles took a decisive charging foul against Lakey, his fifth foul of the game, with 29.2 seconds left. Robby Tanouye made two free throws with 25.5 seconds remaining for a 58-55 Chaminade lead. Holmes converted two free throws with 15.2 seconds left, but then Borchart delivered his clutch free throws.

Borchart had shot an airball from the free-throw line earlier but he said: “You’ve got to put that behind you. You can’t think back to the past.”

Harvard-Westlake made just eight of 28 three-point attempts. The players had the green light to fire away, and Lakey, Holmes and Todd Kurihara kept putting the ball up without hesitation. Too many missed their mark.

“We needed somebody to be hot for us to beat a good team like that, but not enough [three-pointers] were able to fall,” said Wolverine Coach Greg Hilliard.

Harvard-Westlake made it difficult for Chaminade to get the ball to the 6-9 Borchart, who didn’t score his first basket until 5:35 remained in the third quarter. Borchart finished with 14 points.

“They played so well defensively,” Chaminade Coach Jeff Young said of the Wolverines. “They didn’t let us do anything.”

But Chaminade found a way to win with plays like Canoles’, in which he gave up his body to foul out Lakey in the final 30 seconds.

“Canoles’ charging foul was enormous,” Young said. “You think of big plays in the season and that was one of them.”

Another Chaminade player who came through was little-used sophomore guard Erik Johnson, who made a basket and a three-pointer in the third quarter to rally the Eagles from a seven-point deficit.

“I needed another athlete in the game,” Young said.

“[Johnson] gave us a huge contribution.”

Holmes led Harvard-Westlake with 17 points and Lakey added 14.

“It feels great,” said Chaminade guard Cayce Cook of the Eagles’ trip back to the championship game.