HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Royal Clinches Share of League Title, 55-52

Royal High used clutch baskets from Chad Smith and Jared Byrne to cap a wild fourth quarter that featured five lead changes and hand host Westlake a 55-52 loss in a battle for the Marmonte League title Wednesday.

The win gave Royal (20-5, 9-2), which trailed by 11 points early in the third quarter, at least a share of its first league title since 1971. Westlake (13-9, 7-4), in the hunt for its first league title, fell to third place behind Simi Valley (16-8, 8-3).

Simi Valley, which defeated Thousand Oaks, 63-56, will travel to Royal on Friday in the final game of the regular season. Simi Valley must win to forge a tie and give the Pioneers a share of their fifth consecutive title.

Smith, a 6-foot-5 senior who was hampered by foul trouble, hit a 15-foot jump shot to give Royal a 53-52 lead with two minutes left. After Westlake’s B. J. Sena (15 points) blocked a shot and gave the Warriors possession with 19 seconds left, Byrne immediately stole the ball underneath Westlake’s basket and scored to give Royal a 55-52 lead with 17 seconds left.

Westlake called a timeout with 15 seconds left to set up a game-tying basket, but Dave Monheim’s three-point attempt twice bounced from the rim with four seconds left.