Alijah Arenas, Chatsworth boys basketball win epic battle with Crespi, Peyton White

ENCINO — “You finally got me,” Crespi’s Peyton White told Chatsworth’s Alijah Arenas after Friday night’s boys basketball game between the two schools.

It was a clash of stars and a battle of wills between the two players, both of whom scored nearly half of their team’s points.

White had the upper hand in the first half, scoring 24 of his team-high 34 points to give Crespi a seven-point halftime advantage. But Arenas took over in the second half, scoring 22 of his game-high 35 points in the final two quarters, leading Chatsworth to a 77-72 victory over Crespi to remain undefeated.

Chatsworth (6-0) lost to Crespi (7-4) in Arenas’ first two years but came away with the pivotal victory the third time around.

“This means a lot. This really boosts our confidence,” Arenas said. “I really feel like this is our big step moving forward as a team. This is what we really needed to stay locked in and know what we can do.”

While Arenas was held to 13 points in the first half, his teammates Tekeio Phillips and Velijah Miller picked up the scoring load to keep Chatsworth within striking distance.

Phillips scored 8 of his 11 total points in the first 16 minutes of action and Miller had 7 of his 11 points in the same span.

Their contributions, plus additional buckets from Taj Unuakhalu and Salomon Torres, kept the door open for Arenas to take over in the scoring department in the second half.

Arenas used his physicality to get in the lane, often through double teams, making tough shots, drawing fouls and limiting Crespi to one shot on offense by controlling the defensive glass.

“I don’t know why, I always get excited,” Arenas said about being more aggressive in the second half. “I started to smile a lot more and I get chills knowing this is going to be a really good game.”

White got off to a scorching hot start for Crespi, scoring 18 points and shot a perfect 5-for-5 from 3-point range in the first quarter.

The Nevada-bound senior, who said he worked tirelessly on his 3-point shot over the spring and summer, made seven total 3-pointers in the game.

But admittedly, White and his teammates didn’t come out as aggressive in the second half, and several turnovers and missed opportunities at the hoop proved costly.

“I thought in the first half we came out a lot more intensely. We were ready to go,” White said. “And then we came out in the second half up seven, eight and we just didn’t come out with the same intensity. I wasn’t as aggressive as I probably should have been, so that’s on me. But yeah, I’d say we were pretty passive coming out in the second half.”

Carter Barnes scored 11 points for Crespi and Isaiah Barnes added 8 points, including two 3-pointers.

Chatsworth will aim for a 7-0 start to the season when it takes on Western Christian on Thursday, Dec. 19, in Salem, Oregon, in the opening round of the Capitol City Classic.

Crespi will have an opportunity to get back in the win column on Friday, Dec. 20, against St. Anthony.