PF Dennis Hardwell had 26 pts and 15 rebs as #13 LA Harbor avenged a close loss earlier this month with a 77-54 rout of #8 Santa Monica Friday night in Wilmington.
Just 15 days ago, these teams met in the Rio Hondo tournament, with Santa Monica claiming a 74-70 decision in the event's first round. Friday's game was very different, though it should be noted that Harbor rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit for a near-miss at Rio Hondo.
This time around, LA Harbor (8-3) led virtually all the way, and though the Seahawks pulled away to widen the final margin, were never seriously in jeopardy after first building a double-digit lead midway through the first half.
Early on, Harbor scored the game's first four points, but Santa Monica (8-5) scored the next five to take a 5-4 lead on a 3-pointer by PF Jesse Armstrong.
However, that would be Santa Monica's only lead of the game. Harbor went right back in front, 6-5, and pushed the lead to five points at 12-7 less than five minutes into the game. The lead grew to eight points when a 3-pointer by Hardwell made it 19-11 with just over 11 minutes left in the first half, and it grew to ten points at 21-11 after a steal & lay-up by Ctr Bola Egbeyemi moments later.
Harbor's lead grew to 15 points at 31-16 after a jumper by SF Brandon Hrboka with just over six minutes left in the half. Santa Monica drew within nine points at 33-24 on a driving lay-up by SF Johnell Young with just over four minutes left in the half.
But those would be Santa Monica's last points of the first half. Harbor scored just four points in those four minutes - a bank-shot by Hardwell and a basket by Ctr Jamal Washington in the final minute of the half that made it 37-24 at the break.
Harbor pushed its lead to 20 points early in the second half. SG Marquel Jones made a pair of free throws to make it 39-24. A putback basket by Egbeyemi pushed the margin to 17 at 43-26, and a 3-point play by Hrboka after a pass from Jones made it 46-26 with 18:02 left in the game.
Santa Monica, which used a remarkable 13 players in the first half, finally gained some momentum and cut into that lead midway through the second half. SG Lee Lark scored on a fast break started by a blocked shot by Ctr Esvan Middleton to make it 50-39. Then after a Harbor basket, Lark hit a 3-pointer to make it 52-42. Then Young scored on a lay-up to make it 52-44. The Corsairs got within seven points at 54-47 after another Lark 3-pointer a bit later.
That was as close as Santa Monica would get, but the Corsairs stayed close, trailing by just nine points at 62-53 as the clock passed the four-minute mark.
But then Harbor pulled away, sparked by a Hrboka 3-pointer with 3:49 left that made it 65-52. That came on PG Tyler Nelson's 11th assist of the night, and moments later Nelson scored on a lay-up after a steal to make it 67-53. Two baskets by Hardwell made it 71-53, and a driving lay-up by Jones pushed the lead back to 20 at 73-53 with 1:53 left, pretty much clinching the win for the Seahawks.
In addition to Hardwell, three other players scored in double figures for Harbor. Hrboka had 14 pts and 8 rebs, Jones had 13 pts plus 4 rebs, 4 asts and 2 steals, and Washington came off the bench for 10 pts and 8 rebs. Nelson had just 5 pts but added 7 rebs and a game-high 12 asts.
For Santa Monica, Armstrong and Lark each had 10 pts; Armstrong also had 4 rebs, 3 asts and 4 steals. Middleton had 5 pts plus a team-high 11 rebs and a game-high 7 blocked shots.
box score
Friday, December 23, 2011 - 6 pm
at LA Harbor College, Wilmington
Santa Monica Corsairs 54:
3-Julian Wheeler, SF - 2/11 fg, 3/6 ft, 3 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 pf, 7 pts
5-Donte Bowie, PG - 1/3 fg, 2 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 3 pts
10-Jesse Armstrong, PF - 4/6 fg, 4 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl, 2 pf, 10 pts
12-Lee Lark, SG - 4/10 fg, 0/2 ft, 1 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 10 pts
22-Esvan Middleton, C - 1/7 fg, 3/4 ft, 11 reb, 1 ast, 7 blk, 2 pf, 5 pts
1-Johnell Young, F - 3/8 fg, 1/2 ft, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 7 pts
2-Shannan Stroud, G - 1/4 fg, 1 stl, 2 pts
34-Travis Damuth, F - 1/4 fg, 2/4 ft, 2 reb, 4 pts
15-Ian Murray, G - 0/1 fg, 0 pts
11-Ronald Robinson, C - 2 reb, 1 blk, 0 pts
21-Eric Hayes, G - 1/4 fg, 1 pf, 2 pts
24-Jerome Hatchette, F - 0/2 fg, 1 reb, 1 stl, 0 pts
14-A.J. Harris, C - 2/3 fg, 2 reb, 2 pf, 4 pts
32-Jonathan Kaker, F - 0 pts
0-Nicholas Norton, F - 0 pts
team rebounds: 1
Totals: 20/63 fg (.317), 9/18 ft (.500), 30 reb, 10 ast, 9 blk, 9 stl, 15 pf, 54 pts
3-pt fg (5): Armstrong 2, Lark 2, Bowie
Turnovers (13): Bowie 4, Armstrong 4, Young 2, Wheeler, Hatchette, Harris
LA Harbor Seahawks 77:
1-Bola Egbeyemi, C - 2/5 fg, 8 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 4 pts
20-Dennis Hardwell, PF - 10/21 fg, 5/7 ft, 15 reb, 2 blk, 1 stl, 1 pf, 26 pts
23-Tyler Nelson, PG - 2/6 fg, 1/2 ft, 7 reb, 12 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 5 pts
25-Brandon Hrboka, SF - 6/12 fg, 1/1 ft, 8 reb, 1 ast, 3 pf, 14 pts
44-Marquel Jones, SG - 5/10 fg, 3/4 ft, 4 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 13 pts
3-Kyle Reid, F - 1/4 fg, 1/2 ft, 3 reb, 1 blk, 3 pf, 3 pts
4-Jason Daley, G - 1/3 fg, 1 reb, 2 pts
10-Jamal Washington, C - 5/8 fg, 8 reb, 2 blk, 1 stl, 2 pf, 10 pts
team rebounds: 3
Totals: 32/69 fg (.464), 11/16 ft (.688), 57 reb, 19 ast, 5 blk, 6 stl, 12 pf, 77 pts
3-pt fg (2): Hardwell, Hrboka
Turnovers (20): Nelson 5, Jones 4, Hardwell 3, Egbeyemi 2, Washington 2, Hrboka, Reid, Daley, team
Halftime Score: LA Harbor 37, Santa Monica 22
Updated Records: LA Harbor (#13-South) 8-3, Santa Monica (#8-South, #16-Calif) 8-5
LA Harbor led by 20 at 46-26 with 18:02 left. SMC got within 7 at 54-47 and trailed by 9 at 62-53 until Hrboka's 3-pointer with 3:49 left. After that, Harbor pulled away.
