Harvard-Westlake girls basketball pulls away from Notre Dame

SHERMAN OAKS — As the buzzer sounded signaling the end of the third quarter, both teams went to their respective huddles in a tight game. The score was in favor of Harvard-Westlake, but, like the wind blowing outside the gymnasium, it blew wide open for one team.

Harvard-Westlake beat Notre Dame 52-43 on Thursday in a Mission League game for its eighth win in its last 10 games.

In a matter of moments, the Wolverines (9-7, 1-1 Mission League) went on an 11-2 run to help close out the game.

Freshman forward Lucia Khamenia led the way with 18 points, and junior guard Keira Dhaliwal followed with 12, all from behind the arc.

“The message doesn’t change,” Harvard-Westlake head coach William Burr said. “Keep the effort and energy up and see what happens.”

The spark for the Wolverines’ 11-2 run didn’t come from Khamenia or Dhaliwal, but from sophomore guard Sydney Yamaguchi, who drained two 3-pointers in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. Those six points were her only points of the night, but they gave Harvard-Westlake the momentum it needed to close out the game.

The Wolverines forced Notre Dame (9-7, 1-1) into 17 turnovers, with seven of them coming in the first quarter.

Burr said the defensive game plan was clear but simple.

“Active hands and deflections,” Burr said.

Notre Dame was able to keep the game close despite having an off night from sophomore forward MaZiya Randolph. She averages 16.8 points per game, but against the Wolverines, she only had six.

Sophomore guard Leila Goldberg finished with 20 points, 18 of them on 3-pointers. She hit six 3s, and each one drew a loud reaction from the crowd.

It wasn’t enough in the end, but her shooting kept the Knights’ bench and fans engaged throughout the night.

Harvard-Westlake earned an important win over Notre Dame that could spark momentum for the team.

For Burr, the message doesn’t change.

“One game at a time,” Burr said with a smile on his face.