Harvard-Westlake basketball’s CIF State Open Division title could lead to something special

March 12, 2023

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SACRAMENTO — It was like the passing of the torch.

Seniors Brady Dunlap and Jacob Huggins have been the foundational pillars for Harvard-Westlake boys basketball for the past three seasons.

Dunlap will be remembered for his stellar performance in last year’s CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs, taking down Sierra Canyon on the road and dancing his way out of the gym. Huggins tallied 23 points and 17 rebounds in this year’s Mission League tournament final, topping Notre Dame for a second time.

“We’ve been building a bond for the past three years,” Dunlap said of his team. “You can see it out there on the court.”

Saturday night, Harvard-Westlake’s future shined, showing the Wolverines are primed for a potential dynasty in the coming years with juniors Trent Perry and Robert Hinton, along with star-in-the-making sophomore Nik Khamenia as they rolled to a 76-65 victory over Santa Maria St. Joseph in the CIF State Open Division final at the Golden 1 Center.

Robert Hinton #2 of Harvard-Westlake celebrates with teammates after defeating St. Joseph 765-65 to win the boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Sunday, March 12, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Head coach David Rebibo of Harvard-Westlake celebrate with the championship trophy after defeating St. Joseph 765-65 to win the boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Sunday, March 12, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Trent Perry #0 celebrates with teammates Brady Dunlap, left, and Jacob Huggins #12 of Harvard-Westlake after defeating St. Joseph 765-65 to win the boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Sunday, March 12, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Trent Perry #0 of Harvard-Westlake and Nikolas Khamenia #4 of Harvard-Westlake helps Nikolas Khamenia #4 of Harvard-Westlake up after falling against St. Joseph in the second half of a boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Sunday, March 12, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Jacob Huggins #12 of Harvard-Westlake reaches for the rebound against St. Joseph in the second half of a boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 11, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Nikolas Khamenia #4 of Harvard-Westlake rebounds against St. Joseph in the first half of a boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 11, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Caedin Hamilton #35 of St. Joseph blocks the shot by Jacob Huggins #12 of Harvard-Westlake in the first half of a boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 11, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Nikolas Khamenia #4 of Harvard-Westlake shoots a three point shot over Darian Mensah #21 of St. Joseph in the second half of a boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Sunday, March 12, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Harvard-Westlake bench reacts against St. Joseph in the second half of a boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 11, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Trent Perry #0 of Harvard-Westlake celebrates with teammates after defeating St. Joseph 765-65 to win the boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Sunday, March 12, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Brady Dunlap #11 of Harvard-Westlake shoots against St. Joseph in the first half of a boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 11, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Jacob Huggins #12 of Harvard-Westlake slam dunks against St. Joseph in the second half of a boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 11, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Nikolas Khamenia, right, along with Robert Hinton #2 of Harvard-Westlake goes up for the rebound against Caedin Hamilton #35 of St. Joseph in the second half of a boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Sunday, March 12, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Trent Perry #0 of Harvard-Westlake holds up his ring finger after defeating St. Joseph 76-65 to win the boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Sunday, March 12, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Amir Jones #3 of Harvard-Westlake shoots against St. Joseph in the first half of a boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 11, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Trent Perry #0 of Harvard-Westlake drives to the basket against Tounde Yessoufou #24 of St. Joseph in the first half of a boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 11, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Robert Hinton #2 of Harvard-Westlake drives to the basket against St. Joseph in the first half of a boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 11, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Former Los Angeles Lakers’player Robert Horry cheers on his son Christian Horry (not pictured) of Harvard-Westlake against St. Joseph in the second half of a boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 11, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Nikolas Khamenia #4 of Harvard-Westlake drives to the basket against St. Joseph in the first half of a boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 11, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Robert Hinton #2 of Harvard-Westlake flips over after shooting against St. Joseph in the second half of a boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Sunday, March 12, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Nikolas Khamenia #4 of Harvard-Westlake reacts with his teammates after scoring against St. Joseph in the second half of a boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 11, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Robert Hinton #2 of Harvard-Westlake goes hard hard against St. Joseph in the first half of a boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 11, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Robert Hinton #2 of Harvard-Westlake drives to the basket against Abdoul Bare #4 of St. Joseph in the first half of a boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 11, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Head coach David Rebibo of Harvard-Westlake reacts against St. Joseph in the first half of a boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 11, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Head coach Tom Mott of St. Joseph looks on against Harvard-Westlake in the second half of a boys basketball CIF State Open Division championship game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 11, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

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It is the program’s first state Open Division crown, fourth state championship overall and first since 2016 when it won Division IV.

Khamenia scored 16 points, Hinton added eight points and Perry tallied 16 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, breaking the CIF State Open Division finals record for assists, a mark previously held by Mater Dei’s Stanley Johnson (8) since 2014.

The Wolverines might just be getting started.

“There’s a strong case that the Mission League is the strongest league in California. We’ve won it five years in a row,” Rebibo said. “But winning the Open is a whole other beast. … We’ve been in the Open the last four years, we went to the finals last year, we won the regional and state final this year.”

“I think that sends a message that, yes, we are here to stay.”

David Rebibo gets his hands on the CIF State Open Division trophy. pic.twitter.com/eXeae3zjHc

— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) March 12, 2023

Dunlap scored a team-high 18 points and Huggins notched 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Harvard-Westlake created separation in the third quarter when Khamenia converted on a rare four-point play after getting fouled on a corner 3-pointer to make it 52-39. Later Perry delivered a bounce pass for a Huggins dunk to keep St. Joseph at bay late in the quarter, 56-44.

St. Joseph’s highly touted sophomore Tounde Yessoufou was held to 14 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field.

When Rebibo was asked by the media what was the key to containing Yessoufou, he answered with one word.

“Nik Khamenia,” Rebibo said slowly into the microphone. “From day one, Nik wanted him.”

A Hinton baseline jumper created a 64-50 lead with just over four minutes to play, essentially putting the Wolverines (32-2) in cruise control for the rest of the game.

Nik Khamenia, four-point play.

The sophomore is the future of the Harvard-Westlake program, along with Trent Perry.

Wolverines open up a 52-39 lead over St. Joseph deep in the third quarter. pic.twitter.com/LsufEcYlG3

— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) March 12, 2023

Harvard-Westlake also plans on cruising back to Los Angeles.

“This team decided to travel on the bus back home, together, for one last ride,” Rebibo said. “Win or lose, they wanted to be together. It tells you everything you need to know about the character of these guys and how connected they are.”

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