Boys Basketball
Sierra Canyon pulls away from Punahou


  



Sat, Dec 18, 2021 @ Iolani


Final 1 2 3 4  
Sierra Canyon 18 12171663
Punahou (7-6, 11-7) 10 7 7 1539
P. Macapulay 12 pts  4/4 FTs
B. James 14 pts  4 3pm  0/0 FTs
D. Watanabe 5 tot  3 off  2 def
K. Wright 10 tot  4 off  6 def
B. James 3 ast

Size, talent and athleticism ultimately proved to be the difference for Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), but Punahou's heart left a lasting impression Saturday night.

Four players scored in double figures to help the Trailblazers take care of a scrappy Buffanblu squad, 63-39, in the first round of the 37th annual Iolani Prep Classic at the Father Bray Athletic Complex.

Bronny James, the eldest son of NBA superstar Lebron James, led the way with 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds. The 6-foot-3 junior guard also had four steals and made four 3-pointers.

Kijani Wright, who signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the University of Southern California and stands at 6-foot-9, notched a double-double of 13 points and 10 boards. Shy Odom also had 12 points with three blocks and 6-foot-9 forward Tim Rudovskiy knocked down two triples and finished with 10 points off the bench.

Sierra Canyon jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, but Punahou fought back and cut it to a 10-7 game after Drake Watanabe's deep 3-pointer from the right wing. The Trailblazers responded with a pair of triples of their own and was able to make it a 18-10 game heading into the second quarter.

The Buffanblu's Tucker Lam started the second period with a triple to cut the deficit to five before a 6-0 Sierra Canyon run pushed the lead to double figures. Dillon Kellner's 2-point basket stop the bleeding, but another 6-0 run by the Trailblazers ultimately led to a 30-17 lead at the break.

James, who had just three points in the first half, caught fire in the third quarter with eight points. His third-3-pointer of the night made the score 39-19 three minutes into the second half.

But as James started to heat up, so did Punahou's Peyton Macapulay. The Buffanblu's senior point guard spent majority of his night matched up against James and performed admirably with 10 of his team-high 12 points in the second half.

"It's just crazy to play (against) an NBA star's son. I just don't want to take it for granted" said Macapulay, who also had three assists and two steals.

"He's a really good player and I expected the competition and just going at it with him was fun tonight."

Punahou coach Darren Matsuda was proud of his team's effort against one of the top teams in the country. The Trailblazers, who are making their third apperance in the tournament, were ranked No. 1 in MaxPrep's Preseason Top 25.

"I liked (our) ball movement," he said. "We're not going to see that kind of defense (from Hawaii teams) with that kind of length and height and speed. To be able to move the ball and execute as best as we could, it was good to see."

The Buffanblu were resilient despite the score and nearly outscored Sierra Canyon in the final period of play.

"For us, we know that every game, every year we play is kind of special right now," said Matsuda. "We missed the whole season last year and nothing is guaranteed for this year. We just want to play good basketball everytime we get on the court and play hard."

Greg Yamamoto | SL    Purchase image

Saint Paul VI posts 66-42 win over Marynkoll

Led by a 19 point outing by DeShawn Harris-Smith, the Panthers opened up their Iolani Classic campaign with a 66-42 win over the Spartans.

Poor shooting by the Spartans in the early going ultimately made the hill too steep to climb, as Paul VI built a 17-6 margin at the end of the first and continued to build a lead as the game progressed.

Ben Hammond scored 11 points and Darren Harris added nine more for the Panthers, who will face off with Leilehua in a 3:00 p.m. quarterfinal.

Maryknoll was led by Zion Bruce, who scored nine points. The Spartans will clash with Kalaheo in the first game of the day on Monday at 9:30 a.m.

Brien Ing | SL    Purchase image

West Linn powers past Damien, 102-36

Jackson Shelstad went off for 29 points and Zeke Viuhkola added 22 more as West Linn opened up the game with a 39 point first quarter and never looked back en route to a 102-36 rout over Damien in the third game of the opening day of the Iolani Classic.

The visiting Lions also had double digit scoring from Jake Holmes (11) and Peyton Durbin (10) in the vicotry over the Monarchs.

Damien was led by Luke Patton with 10 points, while Caelan Fernando and Dillion Sevilleja each chipped in nine each.

Up next for West Linn is Maui High in the last quarterfinal of the evening on Monday, while Damien takes on Kailua in an 11:00 a.m. consolation bracket contest.





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