Roberts pours in 36 points to lead Ridgeview past Harvard-Westlake
| Tuesday, Mar 09 2010 11:26 PM
Last Updated Tuesday, Mar 09 2010 11:35 PM
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Ridgeview High's # 22 Robert Roberts goes up for a shot as Harvard-Westlake's #15 Damiene Cain can not defend.
Robert Roberts knew it was showtime when he saw the packed house at Ridgeview, the big-time opponent that had come to town and the label of CIF State Basketball Championships.
He spent the next couple of hours proving it was showtime to everyone else.
Ridgeview beat North Hollywood-Harvard-Westlake 79-74 on Tuesday in the first round of the Division III state playoffs behind 36 points from Roberts, including 10 in a furious rally in the final two minutes.
"I live for these games," Roberts said. "I love 'em."
Harvard-Westlake (25-6) led 71-65 with 1:30 to play when Ridgeview (26-5) pounced. Kaylin Evans hit two free throws. Then Chad Clark stole the ball off the inbounds pass and missed a shot that Roberts followed for a layup. Harvard-Westlake turned the ball over immediately again, and Roberts hit two free throws to tie the game with 1:11 left.
"We knew we had to step up to the plate," Roberts said. "I was thinking in my head, 'We can't lose this.'"
Roberts gave Ridgeview the lead with an emphatic dunk, and then, after Harvard-Westlake had tied it back up, he drove to the basket for two, then sealed the game with another breakaway dunk that made it 77-73 with 18 seconds left.
"We felt like if we could get up on them and pressure them, we could shock them," Ridgeview coach Bobby Sharp said. "And I said it: You show me a better guard (than Roberts). You show me a better guard in California. There isn't one. That kid can flat-out play."
Next, Ridgeview plays top seed Gardena-Serra on the road Thursday in the Southern Cal quarterfinals.
"I got more," Roberts said. "I got way more. This is just the beginning."
Erik Swoope had 22 points and Damiene Cane 20 for Harvard-Westlake, which led for most of the game. Ridgeview, though, never went away in front of a boisterous crowd that filled its gym.
"We got beat by a team at home, fired up, played well, and they definitely got it done in the stretch," H-W coach Greg Hillard said. "Tip your cap to 'em."
The Wolf Pack's 10-0 run midway through the second quarter erased a seven-point lead, and it scored six more straight to pull back within 36-34 at halftime.
Same story in the second half: The Wolverines stretched the lead to nine, and Ridgeview got it down to four. Stretched it to seven, back to four. Stretched it to six, and then the final flurry.
"We made little chippy runs, but we never let them slip," Sharp said. "We kept them close and kept chipping and chipping."
Evans was in foul trouble all night and had just four points, but Ridgeview got big minutes from Mister Bailey, who had 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench, and from starters James Harper (14 points) and Chad Clark (10).
"It's a tremendous win for our program, for our school, for our league, for Bakersfield," Sharp said.
