North Hollywood Thrashes Venice Behind Strong Efforts by Ollie, Hill

Damon Ollie and Robert Hill combined for 47 points and 37 rebounds as North Hollywood High powered past visiting Venice, 79-57, in a City Section 3-A Division quarterfinal Friday.

Ollie, the Huskies’ touted 6-foot-5, 210-pound sophomore, finished with 30 points and a season-high 21 rebounds as North Hollywood (26-1) built a 40-28 halftime lead.

“He was dominating in every phase of the game,� North Hollywood assistant Eli Essa said of Ollie. “He was just crashing the boards.�

Hill, a 6-2 All-City guard, added 17 points and a season-high 16 rebounds. DeShawn Harvey added 12 points for North Hollywood, which will play South Gate in the semifinals Tuesday.

Tyrone Thomas scored a team-high 15 points for Venice. The Gondoliers (9-13) opened the game with a full-court trapping zone defense designed to slow the North Hollywood offense. But the Huskies overcame a slow start and built a 19-10 lead after one quarter.