Mercy Miller scores 29 points as Notre Dame takes down No. 1 Harvard-Westlake

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame coach Matt Sargeant wants those McDonald’s All-American voters to hear him loud and clear about his senior guard, Mercy Miller.

“Put some respect on that name,” Sargeant said. “That’s an All-American player. That guy’s will to win is an unparallel.”

Miller contributed 29 points and 11 rebounds before a sold-out crowd at No. 1 Harvard-Westlake on Wednesday night and led the unbeaten Knights to a 59-54 victory in a memorable Mission League game that had Gonzaga coach Mark Few and former Notre Dame star Dusty Stromer among the attendees.

“It was a team effort,” Miller said.

He’s right. Sophomore Caleb Ogbu scored 11 points and made two free throws in the final seconds to clinch victory. Bronson Schmidt-Uili, a 6-foot-11 center, helped Notre Dame (21-0) hold its own on the boards. Zachary White made a key offensive-rebound basket in the fourth quarter.

Trent Perry led Harvard-Westlake (20-2) with 22 points. Christian Horry made four threes. Off games for Robert Hinton and Nikolas Khamenia made it difficult for the Wolverines to overcome the repeated clutch baskets by Miller, who’s bound for Houston. He scored with a hand in his face. He scored on threes. He scored on baseline jumpers. He scored nine consecutive points to open the second quarter. Harvard-Westlake tried multiple people guarding him and when he was double teamed, he found the open man.

“It was definitely fun,” Miller said.

Notre Dame’s schedule hasn’t been the toughest, but the Knights proved they are Southern Section Open Division title contenders.

“You all see what happened,” Miller said. “I think we’re one of the best teams in the country. We just have to keep working hard.”

Loyola 62, Bishop Alemany 50: Quincy Watson had 20 points and Hugh Vandeweghe 15 for the Cubs.

Sierra Canyon 65, St. Francis 42: Noah Williams led Sierra Canyon with 14 points.

Crespi 80, Chaminade 72: Bryce Goldman had 35 points for Chaminade. Joe Sterling led Crespi with 24 points.

Corona Centennial 89, Norco 49: Eric Freeny scored 27 points for the 3-0 Huskies in the Big VIII League.

Los Alamitos 86, Edison 81: The Griffins won the Sunset League showdown. Liam Gray scored 23 points.

Mater Dei 57, Santa Margarita 52: The Monarchs stayed unbeaten in the Trinity League. Brannon Martinsen had 16 points.

St. John Bosco 66, Orange Lutheran 41: Max Ellis led the Braves with 15 points.

JSerra 83, Servite 56: Sebastian Rancik finished with 24 points for JSerra.

La Mirada 78, Downey 41: MJ Smith had 24 points for La Mirada.

St. Anthony 77, St. Paul 57: Aman Haynes and Quincy Phillips each scored 20 points for St. Anthony.

King/Drew 58, Washington Prep 52: In a huge Coliseum League game, King/Drew stayed unbeaten. Jayshawn Kibble scored 15 points and Josahn Webster and Donald Thompson added 13 points apiece.

Cleveland 63, Granada Hills 48: Souljah Niles had 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists as the Cavaliers won their ninth consecutive game.

Westchester 63, Fairfax 42: Khaeden Grady-Asher scored 17 points for the Comets.

Palisades 78, Hamilton 56: The Dolphins are 4-2 in the Western League. Aten Hassan scored 16 points.

Venice 69, LACES 68: The Gondoliers came up with the big Western League win.

Crenshaw 76, Fremont 41: Jeremiah Blackmon scored 16 points and Chris Halton 15 for Crenshaw.

Bernstein 50, Hollywood 46: Troy Agtang and Greg Griffin each scored 14 points for Bernstein.

Sun Valley Poly 69, Monroe 31: Chris Reyes made five threes and finished with 15 points for Poly.

Community Charter 66, Malibu 54: Dylan Goosen had 36 points for Malibu.

South Pasadena 94, Blair 69: Russ Williams finished with 34 points for South Pasadena.