Sierra Canyon vs. Harvard-Westlake Open Final is Tale of Polar Opposites Colliding

Mission League rivals Sierra Canyon and Harvard-Westlake will face off in the CIF Southern Section Open Division final Saturday night.

Brandon McCoy Jr. rises for a one-handed dunk against JSerra at Pauley Pavilion on November 22, 2025. / Greg Fiore

When Sierra Canyon and Harvard-Westlake take the floor for the CIF Southern Section Open Division final Saturday night, two different paths to the proverbial mountain top will be represented: Sierra Canyon's route forged by transfers and Harvard-Westlake's route built by players grown from within.

That's not hyperbole. It's not hate — it's not praise, either. I'm not saying one is better than the other. It's just the truth.

Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. at the Toyota Arena in Ontario. The game will be broadcast live on Spectrum SportsNet (the Lakers channel) and NFHSNetwork.

The question is: what will prevail — the talent or the togetherness?

Since the 2020-21 season, Harvard-Westlake has welcomed transfers Brady Dunlap (from Hart) and current senior Joe Sterling (from Crespi). That's two.

Harvard-Westlake’s Joe Sterling handles the ball against Notre Dame’s Josiah Nance in a Mission League showdown Friday night. / Greg Fiore

Sierra Canyon has welcomed 31 total transfers that've competed in games in the same span. The numbers is actually higher when considering other transfers like Kade Bonam (from St. John Bosco) and Max Allen (from Heritage Christian) that were enrolled, but never played due to injury or other circumstances.

It's easy to look at the transfer disparity and decide one program is doing it the 'right way', but you wouldn't be fighting fair. You'd be looking at it from a moral high ground, and to that I would ask, 'Who are you to do so?'

Because the truth is, transfers are part of the game now. Look around. In almost every sport and at every level, athletes are jumping from school to school. Sierra Canyon coach Andre Chevalier has simply leaned into it. It's really not much different from what John Calipari does with the embrace of the 'one and done' college player.

You could argue Chevalier was ahead of his time when accepting transfers in bulk to Sierra Canyon before the pandemic. He won back-to-back CIF State Open Division titles with impact transfers Cassius Stanley, Kenyon Martin Jr., Scotty Pippen Jr., Duane Washington, Terren Frank and Christian Koloko.

Sierra Canyon won the Les Schwab Invitational in 2018. / Sierra Canyon basketball

Let's be honest, now the 'transfer' is far less taboo. And so is the 'one and done'.

On the other hand, Rebibo has also been to the top with homegrown talent like Trent Perry and Nik Khamenia, both McDonald's All-Americans. What Rebibo does at Harvard-Westlake is remarkable, no question. But he's an anomaly. His recipe is hard to replicate — and trust me it's not solely because of the talent — it's because there is only one David Rebibo.

Look at last year's Open Division winners, Eastvale Roosevelt. The team's top player, Brayden Burries — a transfer. The runner-up: Notre Dame. The Knights' top player, Tyran Stokes — a transfer.

Scoff at it all you want, but what Chevalier does is hard, too. Taking talented and ego-laden teenagers to buy into one common goal with just a few months to bond? And not to just win games, but to potentially win it all? And be the villain while doing it? Oh, and be everyone's Superbowl each night?

Please.

And let's not forget managing the helicopter parents of these high-profile players — or even worse — the delusional parents of non-high-profile players (!).

Two styles. Two different paths. Same result: winning. However, one team will lose Saturday night.

THE MISSION LEAGUE RIVALRY

The two teams are heated rivals. Harvard-Westlake has held the crown for the past handful of years and now Sierra Canyon seems to be the team to beat after saying the No. 1-ranked team in California all season long.

No two teams from the same league have ever faced each other in the Open Division final.

The two faced off one time earlier this year in a Mission League bout on Jan. 21. Sierra Canyon won 55-47.

This year's imports include Brandon McCoy Jr. (from St. John Bosco), DeLan Grant (St. Francis), Brannon Martinsen (JSerra) and JJ Sati-Grier (North Carolina). McCoy, along with returner Maxi Adams, were selected to the 2026 McDonald's All-American game.

McCoy is averaging 19.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Adams is pouring in 16.2 points per game.

Harvard-Westlake is led by Texas commit Joe Sterling, who has been lights out in the postseason. Sterling is averaging 22.1 points per game and shooting 44% from downtown this years. Amir Jones, Pierce Thompson and Cole Holden have been key contributors on the perimeter.

SIERRA CANYON'S 30 TRANSFERS

Here are the 30 transfers that've played in games for Sierra Canyon since the 2020-21 season:

• Chance Westry
• Jojo Phillips
• Ramel Lloyd Jr.
• Isaiah Elohim
• Ryan Grande
• Kijani Wright
• Evan Manjikian
• Majok Chuol
• Noah Williams
• Bryce Cofield
• Jimmy Oladokun
• Ashton Hardaway
• AJ Swinton
• Trentyn Flowers
• Jaden Nickens
• Michael Baba
• Stephen Kankole
• Chris Nwuli
• Gavin Hightower
• Maxi Adams
• Brandon McCoy Jr.
• DeLan Grant
• Brannon Martinsen
• JJ Sati-Grier
• Jeremiah Nyarko
• Josh Lowery
• Timofei Rudovskii
• Alpha Chibambe
• Amir Brown
• Shy Odom
• Mike Price

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