Harvard-Westlake (20-1) methodically stretched its lead in the first half, leading 15-11 at the end of the first quarter and 32-20 at halftime.
The Wolverines increased their advantage to 40-22 with 4:52 remaining in the third period but McEachern (13-5) battled back with a 16-4 run to end the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 44-38 entering the final period of play.
Nikolas Khamenia tallied 21 points and eight rebounds in Harvard-Westlake's win Monday over McEachern of Georgia at the Spalding Hoophall Classic. (Photo: Lonnie Webb)
Five-star Rutgers signee
Ace Bailey of McEachern accounted for six points during the spurt while three-star senior
Jaye Nash and junior wing
Jayden Bynes each contributed four points apiece.
The momentum carried into the fourth quarter as Nash converted a pair of free throws before making a layup to cut the deficit to 44-42 with 6:40 remaining in the contest.
Buckets by USC signee
Trent Perry and Khamenia gave Harvard-Westlake a little cushion at 48-42.
Bailey went on a personal 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 48-47 with 4:32 to go, converting a tough layup through contact before snagging a rebound and walking into a 3-pointer from the right wing.
Perry connected on a 3-pointer from the right corner with 4:02 to go. Senior
Christian Horry connected on another triple from the left corner with 2:37 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Bailey snapped a three-minute scoreless streak for McEachern with a layup with 1:23 remaining to cut the margin to three points. Senior
Nnadozie Onyirimba scored in transition to make it a one possession game at 54-51 with 43 seconds remaining before a back-court violation gave the Indians the ball back with 34 seconds remaining.
Byrnes knocked down a 3-pointer from the left wing with 16 seconds remaining to tie the game for the first time since 2-2 in the opening minutes. Following missed shots from Horry and Nash, the thrilling MaxPreps Top 25 showdown transitioned into overtime.
Perry opened the scoring on the first possession of overtime with a mid-range jumper from the left corner. Khamenia stretched the Wolverines' lead to 58-55 with 1:45 remaining in the extra session.
After a free throw on the other end, Perry converted a free-throw line jump shot with approximately one minute remaining to make it 60-56.
Nash converted one of two free throws with 50 seconds remaining before Bailey knocked down a pair of free throws to cut the margin to 60-59 with 47 seconds remaining following an offensive rebound.
Harvard-Westlake was able to come up with a defensive stand in the final seconds to secure the victory.
Bailey finished with 23 points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots in the loss.
McEachern's schedule lets up a bit ahead of the postseason as it continues conference play with a matchup against
North Paulding (Dallas, Ga.) on Friday. The Indians are coming off a busy stretch of games, including a trip to Missouri for the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions over the weekend where they went 2-1.
