Boys’ basketball: Harvard-Westlake’s injuries mount

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North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake Coach Greg Hilliard is confident his team will be one of the best in Southern Section Division 3A. But that won’t happen until the end of the season.

The Wolverines are going through some injury problems and don’t expect to be at full strength until January at the earliest. The latest setback involves Shawn Ma, a backup forward who has been lost for the season after a broken ankle.

Five of the Wolverines’ top eight players are sidelined by injuries. Guard Nicky Firestone, who seemingly has broken a bone or torn a muscle every basketball season, is still recovering from surgery for a torn ACL. Forward David Burton is sidelined with a sprained ankle. Forward Josh Hearlihy is dealing wih back issues. And 6-foot-7 freshman Derick Newton won’t be available until January.

So the Wolverines might be ripe for getting beat against top teams in December. But when Mission League play begins in January, beware Cub fans. The Wolverines will be ready for their annual sold-out games against Loyola.

-- Eric Sondheimer