A Scout’s Take: Harvard-Westlake vs Sierra Canyon (Part 1)
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A Scout’s Take: Harvard-Westlake vs Sierra Canyon (Part 1) CHATSWORTH, Ca—Sierra Canyon has been on the radar of elite teams for quite some time and was one of the favorites—along with defending champion Corona Centennial—to bag the CIFSS Championship this…
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Continue ReadingA Scout’s Take: Harvard-Westlake vs Sierra Canyon (Part 1)
CHATSWORTH, Ca—Sierra Canyon has been on the radar of elite teams for quite some time and was one of the favorites—along with defending champion Corona Centennial—to bag the CIFSS Championship this season. However, Harvard-Westlake had other ideas and put together a masterful performance to come away with a 63-60 victory and advance to their first Open Division Championship. Sophomore Trent Perry nailed two clutch free throws to complement Cameron Thrower Cameron Thrower 6'3" | SG Harvard-Westlake | 2022 State CA-S (pictured) and junior Brady Dunlap Brady Dunlap 6'7" | SF Harvard-Westlake | 2023 State #100 Nation CA-S ’s outstanding performances as the Wolverines will take on the No. 1 seed Corona Centennial on Friday.
MVP
Cameron Thrower Cameron Thrower 6'3" | SG Harvard-Westlake | 2022 State CA-S (Harvard-Westlake)
2022, CG, 6-foot-3, 180 pounds
Joel’s Take: In a critical match-up with perennial power Sierra Canyon, Thrower was simply scintillating. He tossed in 18-points and it was a mix of clutchness and efficiency. He, along with fellow senior Dahnte Russell Dahnte Russell 5'8" | PG Harvard-Westlake | 2022 State CA-S , did an outstanding job of handling Sierra Canyon’s suffocating defense as they dissected it with precision passing and efficient ball-handling. Thrower’s jump shot was smooth all night and he mixed some strong drives as well.
Blue-Collar 5-man
Kijani Wright Kijani Wright 6'8" | PF Sierra Canyon | 2022 State #63 Nation CA-S (Sierra Canyon)
2022, F, 6-foot-9, 250 pounds
Joel’s take: The Huskies are blessed with an absurd amount of talent and they possess a gifted front court of burly 5-man Wright as well as bouncy 4-man Jeremiah Nyarko Jeremiah Nyarko 6'7" | PF St. John Bosco | 2022 State #209 Nation CA-S . Wright is built like a medieval fortress and he does an excellent job of carving out space in the paint. He shows a tremendous nose for the ball as a rebounder and finisher in the paint area. Despite his strength, he needs to do a better job of securing rebounds as he lost control of the ball far too often for a player of his caliber.
Lefty 4-man
Landon Lewis Landon Lewis 6'6" | PF Harvard-Westlake | 2022 State CA-S (Harvard-Westlake)
2022, F, 6-foot-7, 215 pounds
Joel’s Take: Lewis, who is committed to Brown, is a left-handed post who always plays on balance and never forces the issue. He put together a nice mix of post moves and face-up drives. His free throw shooting was a mixed bag at the beginning, but he converted down the stretch. The ultimate highlight for him was a drop-step move where he flushed over USC signee Kijani Wright Kijani Wright 6'8" | PF Sierra Canyon | 2022 State #63 Nation CA-S .
Two-way stalwart
Isaiah Elohim (Sierra Canyon)
2024, 6-foot-5, 200 pounds
Joel’s take: The Huskies have a plethora of offensive weapons and Elohim is one of their brightest young stars. He didn’t get his usual amount of touches, but when he did he converted them. His mid-range game is phenomenal and he is explosive off the bounce. Defensively, he exhibited one of the best defensive plays as his chase-down block displayed his mindset on that side of the floor.
Impact transfer
Trentyn Flowers Trentyn Flowers 6'8" | CG Rosedale Christian | 2024 CA-S (Sierra Canyon)
2024, G/F, 6-foot-8, 220 pounds
Joel’s take: Flowers, who recently transferred in the past month from Huntington Prep, made a significant impact in this game. The elite sophomore has all the physical tools to be a high-level D1 recruit down the road. He has the length and bounce to impact the game at both ends. While on the break he showed solid ball skills and vision. His lob-catch in transition was a thing of beauty and he made a number of plays in the paint area due to his nimble feet, soft hands, and knack for always being around the ball.