[0] TAYLOR, H.-W. TAKE THEIR BOWS WOLVERINES RACE TO ANOTHER CIF TITLE H.-W. 80, EL SEGUNDO 62.

Byline: Rich Hammond Staff Writer

The legacy of the Harvard-Westlake High boys' basketball program already hadbeen entrusted to sophomore forward Bryce Taylor. Friday night, Taylor had a chance to prove his worth as one of the Wolverines' greats.

Taylor overcame early foul trouble and scored a team-high 23 points to lead the Wolverines to a 80-62 victory over top-seeeded El Segundo inthe championship game of the Southern Section Division IV-AA playoffs at Loyola Marymount.

It was the Wolverines' first title since 1997, when twins Jarron andJason Collins led the school to three consecutive sectional titles.

Taylor built a legend of his own this spring in the second-seeded Wolverines' great playoff run, which almost ended in disaster despite a 19-point halftime lead over the Eagles.

El Segundo got back in the game with a strong third quarter and Harvard-Westlake had to hold off a furious rally in the final period.

El Segundo hovered around a 10-point deficit for the first half of the quarter and cut it to 68-60 on a 3-pointer by Jeramie Hopson with four minutes remaining.

But two possessions later, Hopson picked up a defensive foul and then a technical foul when he portested the call. Hopson fouled out and theWolverines made three of four free throws and got the ball.

On that possession, Taylor banked in a jumper for a 75-60 lead and the Wolverines were never challenged in the final three minutes of the game.

Taylor, a 6-foot-4 forward, picked up his second foul with two minutes remaining in the first quarter. By that point he had already scored six points and helped the Wolverines build a five-point lead at the end of the quarter, but his best work was still to come.

Easily the most versatile and athletic player on the court Friday night, Taylor took control of the game in the second quarter.

An El Segundo free throw brought the Eagles to within 18-14, but theWolverines then took control with a 19-5 run keyed largely by Taylor.

Taylor scored eight consecutive points in one stretch and a total of10 points during the run as the Wolverines turned a four-point lead into a 37-19 advantage with two minutes remaining in th first half.

The Wolverines took control during the run by limiting their own mistakes while forcing the Eagles into frequent turnovers and bad shots.

Taylor hit two 3-pointers during the run, which finally ended when Dashawn Strong made two free throws with two minutes remaining in the half.

Harvard-Westlake outscored El Segundo 5-2 over the final two minutesto take a 42-23 halftime lead that seemed insurmountable.

The Wolverines kept their lead at 17 points more than two minutes into the third quarter, but the Eagles scored the next seven points to getback in the game, trailing 46-36.

El Segundo kept the pressure on a suddenly rattled Harvard-Westlake unit. Strong began to take control under the basket and the Eagles got the deficit under 10 points when Strong scored on a driving layup with 1:26 remaining.

Harvard-Westlake finally settled down but couldn't pull away from ElSegundo. Two free throws by Harris Chung and a jumper by Weinberger allowed the Wolverines to go into the fourth quarter with a 56-45 lead.

The Wolverines got a scare late in the third quarter when Taylor landed hard on his left hip after an intentional fould, but he missed less than a minute and returned before the end of the quarter.

Harvard-Westlake never trailed in the first half. Both teams seemed bothered by the surroundings of spacious Gersten Pavillion and struggledwith their shots early, but the Wolverines adjusted before the Eagles.

Harvard-Westlake led by 8-7 with three minutes remaining in the quarter, but despite Taylor's second foul the Wolverines opened a more comfortable lead.

Taylor and Harris controlled the post well against the bigger Eagles, and Craig Weinstein and Bobby Weinberger provided steady play in the backcourt.

The Wolverines went on a 6-0 run and outscored the Eagles 8-2 to close the first quarter and go into the second period with a 14-9 lead.