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FAB 50 No. 31 Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) pulls off an upset against No. 2 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) at the Hoophall West event in Arizona, setting up a championship game on Saturday (9 pm MT) against the still unbeaten and No. 49 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.).
Despite California’s top three ranked teams participating in the Nike Tournament of Champions with Hoophall West in Gilbert, Ariz., only one Golden State team was featured in the event’s eight-team bracket. With State No. 1 and FAB 50 No. 9 Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) and No. 2 and FAB 50 No. 10 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) playing in round-robin games, No. 3 and No. 31 Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) had the chance to make a significant impact on a national level.
Ranked at No. 31 in the latest FAB 50 National Team Rankings, Harvard-Westlake had a notable loss to Timpview (Utah) earlier in December, but they have redeemed themselves with impressive performances in their first two games at Highland High School in Phoenix. These victories not only build momentum for their quest for a third consecutive CIF Open Division state championship in California but also shake up the rankings for the top California teams.
In a thrilling game that came down to the wire, Harvard-Westlake upset FAB 50 No. 2 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) with a 66-63 victory in the semifinals on Friday. This followed their 57-54 win over No. 12 Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) in the first round, setting the stage for an exciting championship game at 9 pm (MT) against De La Salle (Concord, Calif.).
Gonzaga, a prominent program from the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC), struggled with turnovers and shooting in the game against Harvard-Westlake and ultimately fell short despite leading at halftime. The Purple Eagles’ effort was evident, but Harvard-Westlake’s resilience and strong play secured their spot in the championship game.
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