Harvard-Westlake girls basketball loses to Redondo Union in familiar way

BURBANK — A game filled with aggression and intensity. Both teams hustled, played defense, passed with intent and dove for every loose ball. Chants roared from each bench when a play went their way.

It was clear the Harvard-Westlake and Redondo Union girls basketball teams both wanted the victory on Wednesday night.

Ultimately, the game was decided in the second and third quarters as Redondo Union, led by senior forward Abby Zimmerman, secured a 50-37 win.

Zimmerman finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and three assists.

The Sea Hawks (6-2) extended their winning streak to three games while the Wolverines (1-6) have lost six in a row.

“They turned us over too much,” Harvard-Westlake head coach William Burr said.

The Wolverines’ offense didn’t get into much of a rhythm due to Redondo Union’s defensive pressure. Every time the ball crossed half court for Harvard-Westlake, a Sea Hawks defender was waiting with both arms out, pressuring the ball, forcing dribbles to be picked up.

When the offense could sustain passes, Harvard-Westlake would attack the paint aggressively, trying to feed the ball to freshman forward Lucia Khamenia, who led the way for the Wolverines with 16 points and eight rebounds.

Khamenia was the Wolverines’ main option, but outside of her, Harvard-Westlake had constant ball movement. Cutting, screens and off-ball movement were the main staples all night long for the Wolverines.

The game plan was clear, but the defensive pressure forced Harvard-Westlake into eight turnovers. Pressure is something the Wolverines are used to this season.

“That’s all we’ve felt so far,” Burr said of defensive pressure from other teams this season. “Their defensive pressure bothered us.”

Along with tough defense, Redondo Union had a hot hand beyond the arc, as it drilled six 3-pointers, three more than Harvard-Westlake.

The Sea Hawks created a lot of penetration against the Harvard-Westlake 2-3 zone, and that led to shooters being open in the corners. The Sea Hawks made the Wolverines pay.

Redondo Union senior guard Ava Gomez had 10 points and six rebounds, and senior forward Lilian Johnson had eight points, five assists and four rebounds.

It was the third double-digit loss for Harvard-Westlake this season.

Burr said he isn’t fazed by it. He knows what his team has to do to get back into the win column. The Wolverines’ next game is against Campbell Hall on Dec. 16.

“We move on from this game,” Burr said. “You learn from it. Get better. Get ready for the next one.”