The Hoover Highlanders defeated the Stanford Hawks 82–58 on Saturday morning to win the Long Beach Division I Middle School Boys Basketball Championship, capping an emotional title run inside a packed gym.
Both teams entered the matchup eager to seize the championship, with Hoover carrying the weight of recent disappointment. The Highlanders had reached the title game in each of the previous two seasons, only to come up short.
“I’m not going to say we expected to be here,” Hoover coach Crabtree said, “but we’ve been in the championship the last two years and lost.”
Stanford opened the game with crisp execution, using strong ball movement and communication to build an early 7–2 lead. Easy baskets at the rim set the tone for the Hawks’ fast start, but the momentum quickly shifted as Hoover found its rhythm behind guards King Harris and Major Gaines.
Harris and Gaines sparked the Highlanders on both ends of the floor, settling the game and swinging control back to Hoover. Stanford answered behind the playmaking of Jamin Harper and the perimeter shooting of Yoni Waxman, but the second quarter belonged almost entirely to Harris.
Harris erupted offensively, scoring at all three levels and overwhelming Stanford’s defense. He finished with 41 points, accounting for half of Hoover’s scoring, with a large portion coming during the second quarter.
“He’s one of the best players, not just in Long Beach, but in the country,” Crabtree said.
Hoover carried a 42–30 lead into halftime and continued to assert its dominance in the second half. Harper led Stanford with 29 points and attacked relentlessly out of the break, but the Hawks struggled to contain Hoover’s backcourt tandem as the lead continued to grow.
Gaines complemented Harris’ scoring, while Troy Seals provided a strong interior presence. Seals controlled the glass, protected the rim with key blocks and facilitated the offense by finding open teammates.
Hoover pushed its advantage to 20 points by the end of the third quarter, effectively putting the game out of reach. Both teams began turning to their benches midway through the fourth, and the Highlanders led by as many as 24 points before the final horn.
Despite the lopsided score, the game ended with mutual respect between the two programs.
“Stanford is a great team,” Crabtree said. “They play great team basketball.”
With the victory, Hoover secured its first Division I middle school championship after two consecutive runner-up finishes, while both teams further cemented their reputations as premier programs in Long Beach basketball
