Providence Hopes End on Buckley’s 10-2 Finish

SHERMAN OAKS —  Colin Ward-Henninger scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Buckley High outscored Providence, 10-2, in the final two minutes of a 55-47 Liberty League boys’ basketball victory Thursday night at Buckley.

Ward-Henninger, a 6-foot-3 junior forward averaging 19.8 points per game, scored only one point in the second and third quarters combined, but elevated his game when it mattered most.

David Gale added 12 points and nine rebounds for Buckley (14-2, 8-0 in league play), which remained in first place ahead of the Pioneers (15-4, 7-2).

Shant Bekmezian scored 20 points and Pierre Kascinta added 13 for Providence.

Ward-Henninger scored Buckley’s first six points and finished with 10 in the first quarter as Buckley opened up a 17-12 lead. But the Griffins made only two of 15 shots in the second quarter and managed four points, a season low for a quarter for the Griffins.

Providence took its first lead, 22-21, on a three-pointer by Bekmezian with 1:16 left until halftime.

“Our offense went into a drought for a long time and that’s unusual,” said Coach Dan Haasch of Buckley. “I knew we would come out of it eventually. I was just hoping we wouldn’t be too far behind.”

Kascinta, a 6-2 senior forward averaging 17 points a game, hit a five-foot hook shot in the lane to give Providence a 34-32 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Buckley bounced back, using a 9-1 run to take a 42-37 lead with 4:30 left to play.

Providence took a 43-42 lead, but Ward-Henninger answered with a three-pointer.

Bekmezian sank two free throws to tie the game, 45-45, with 2:28 left.

Buckley took over from there. Gale hit a three-pointer, fed Royal Weaver for a fastbreak layup and hit a free throw to give the Griffins a 51-45 lead with just under a minute left.

“I went with a bigger lineup late in the game to try to get defensive pressure and cause turnovers,” Haasch said. “The zone we used only works if all five guys are doing the right thing. Fortunately, we rose to the occasion at the right time.”

Coach Paolo Velasco and assistant Robert Mena of Providence played for Haasch while he was an assistant at Providence in 1990-91.

Buckley, ranked No. 7 in Southern Section Division V-AA, played without starting guard Adam Paster, who sat out because of a broken finger on his left hand.

Gale, who leads the region with 5.7 steals per game, had six steals against the Pioneers, two in the last 53 seconds.

Derek Jones gave Providence, ranked No. 5 in Division IV-A, its biggest lead, 28-22, with a 10-foot jumper early in the third quarter.

The game was played in honor of Paul Sutton, former coach at Providence, who died last August of colon cancer.

Proceeds from ticket and concession sales went to a trust fund for Sutton’s two children.

PLAYOFF FRENZY: Any team with 10 victories can petition for a playoff spot. Page 16