Harvard-Westlake defeated Lakeside 60-50 in the quarterfinals of the CIF-Southern Section Open Division tournament Wednesday night. Justine Barraza ’17 led the team in scoring with a career-high 20 points. Twin juniors Jayda and Jayla Ruffus-Milner scored 12 and 10, respectively.
CIF-SS G Hoops: @hwathletics beats Lakeside 60-50. Barraza 20, Jayda Ruffus-Milner 12, Jayla Ruffus-Milner 10 @latsondheimer @DNPrepSports
— Harvard-Westlake (@hwathletics) February 23, 2017
Barraza’s career night couldn’t have come at a more crucial time; with Sydney Tsutsui ’17 out for the remainder of the season after tearing her ACL and meniscus in the 4th quarter of the Wolverines’ previous game against Mater Dei on Saturday, senior responsibilities fall almost solely on Barraza who averages more minutes per game (27.5) than anyone else on the team (the only other remaining senior on the varsity roster, which has now been reduced to eight players, is Dani Mirell, who averages 9.5 minutes per game).
The Wolverines entered the 4th quarter trailing 45-40, but went on an 11-2 run in the opening four minutes of the final period. They held the Lancers to just five points in the 4th quarter and scored 20 of their own.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL: Harvard-Westlake at Lakeside
1 2 3 4 – T
HW 16 12 12 20 – 60
LS 10 13 22 5 – 50— H-W Chronicle Sports (@HWCsports) February 23, 2017
Not only did the win advance the Wolverines to the sectional semifinals, but it also secured the team a spot in the CIF State Open Division tournament.
The 6-seed Wolverines will host 2-seed Etiwanda Saturday at 7 p.m. for a spot in the CIF-SS Open Division title game.
