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Harvard-Westlake wins Hoophall West Classic with dominant victory over De La Salle

Wg0vf-nP_400x400by:Keegan Pope•01/05/25•

bykeeganpope

Syndication: Desert Sun
Harvard-Westlake head coach David Rebibo watches his team from the bench area during the third quarter of their game in the Desert Holiday Classic in Rancho Mirage, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. © Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One of California’s top high school basketball programs showed it’s also one of the best in the nation on Friday night, as Harvard-Westlake won the 2025 Hoophall West Classic with an impressive 58-44 win over De La Salle.

The Wolverines, who entered the game as a top-10 team nationally, flexed their defensive muscle in beating the Spartans, who came into the game at 14-1 on the season. Their win came a day after beating Washington D.C.’s No. 1 team, Gonzaga, and two days after beating Arizona’s No. 1 team, Perry.

And for a third day in a row, Westlake held their opponents in check. De La Salle shot a solid 46 percent from the floor, but was only able to get off 35 total attempts and only 8 3-pointers. The Spartans had a pair of double-figure scorers in Alec Blair (15) and David Balogun (12), but were largely shut down otherwise.

Duke signee and top-25 national recruit Nikolas Khamenia led the way for the Wolverines with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, and he was named the tournament’s MVP after the game. Amir Jones (14), Isaiah Carroll (10) and Joe Sterling (9) helped lead the way as Westlake led by as many as 20 midway through the third quarter and led from start to finish.

As a team, the Wolverines — who are the No. 2 team in California according to the On3 Composite High School Basketball Rankings — shot nearly 50 percent from the field and connected on 11 of 22 3-point attempts.

About the Hoophall West Classic

According to the tournament’s website, ‘The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Hoophall West High School Invitational annually features the top high school players and teams from across the country.’

This year’s edition includes eight of the top 25 teams in the latest On3 Composite High School Basketball Rankings, as well as more than two-dozen of the top-100 prospects in the 2025, 2026 and 2027 recruiting classes.

Along with public school powerhouses like Duncanville, the tournament features teams from the Nike EYBL Scholastic League, as well as top private prep schools from across the country. Teams from Arizona, California, Missouri, Utah, Texas, Washington D.C., Utah and New York are competing in this year’s event.

2025 No. 1 overall prospect AJ Dybantsa, as well as five-stars Koa Peat, Chris Cenac Jr., Brayden Burries, Isiah Harwell and 2026 top recruits Tyran Stokes and Brandon McCoy headline the event.