CIF Southern Section Open Division Recap

Notre Dame Punches Ticket to Open Division Final with Win Over Harvard-Westlake

In their third meeting of the season, Notre Dame SO (4-0) finally broke through against Harvard-Westlake (3-1), securing a 68-61 victory to clinch a spot in the CIF-SS Open Division championship game. 2026 Forward Tyran Stokes delivered a dominant two-way performance, tallying 25 points and 10 rebounds, while fellow Junior Zach White added 23 points and six rebounds. Despite Duke commit Nikolas Khamenia’s 31-point effort, the Wolverines couldn’t overcome Notre Dame’s defensive adjustments and efficiency at the free-throw line, where the Knights converted 24 of 31 attempts—including a staggering 16-of-19 in the fourth quarter. With the game knotted at 51-51 late in the fourth, Notre Dame executed down the stretch, stringing together clutch free throws and key stops to seize control. Now just one win away from their first-ever Open Division title, the Knights turn their attention to a championship showdown against Roosevelt (3-1) at Toyota Arena on Saturday night.