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Brandon Ching | ScoringLiveDecember 21, 2021, 5:05am
Mon, Dec 20, 2021 @ Iolani
Iolani kept it close and interesting in the first half but Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, California) had too much firepower in the second half to win, 66-49, in the quarterfinals of the Iolani Classic.
The Trailblazers, ranked third in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 rankings, advance to the semifinal round to face Pembroke Pines (Florida) at 3 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time on Tuesday, Dec. 21.
"They're one of the top teams in the country so we had nothing to lose and we gave it our all out there," freshman guard JJ Mandaquit said.
The other semifinal game pits West Linn (Oregon) and St. Paul VI (Chantilly, Virginia), ranked No. 20, at approximately 4:30 p.m.
Three games on Monday were canceled due to health and safety protocols so the Raiders will face Central Catholic (Portland, Oregon) at 1 p.m. and will take on Baldwin, from the Maui Interscholastic League, at 6:30 p.m. for exhibition in a modified schedule.
Four Sierra Canyon players finished in double figures. Ramel Lloyd led the way with 20 points before fouling out, Kijani Wright added 14, and Dylan Metoyer and Tim Rudovskiy each had 11.
Mandaquit was the only player to score in double figures for the home team and led Iolani with 18 points.
"He's hard on himself and he prepares to be hard on himself. He took the challenge on tonight. One of the things he prides himself on is how tough he is and his IQ. The fact he was able to get shots off without forcing them is a credit to him and his team. His team had to hit shots for him to get open. Collectively, this is a great team effort," Hirata said of Mandaquit.
Mandaquit scored nine of the team's 14 points in the first quarter to help Iolani claw back from a 9-0 early deficit. Sierra Canyon led 16-9 before the Raiders went on a mini run capped by Bailey Bumanglang's 3-pointer from the right corner to get within two.
"The mindset was just to believe we could hang in there with them. Once we got past the the ‘hang in there' with them, we started to believe in a little more that we could compete. Once we competed, they had fun," Iolani coach Ryan Hirata said. "That's all I wanted them to do tonight was to take in the moment against one of the best teams in the country and to have fun out there. They work extremely hard, I push them everyday to the limit. The fact they were able to enjoy that time out there for 32 minutes and bust their butts was what made me proud of them."
Jack Jones scored all five of his points in the second quarter and threw down a dunk in transition to tie the game at 19. The Trailblazers struggled from the field and hit their first field goal off Lloyd's 3-point play.
"Credit to our coaches and the fans, we fed off them. Our coaches are constantly on us. We knew that if we wanted to have a chance, we needed to do all the little things," Mandaquit said.
"The fact that we were able to hit shots, that's the key any time you play an athletic team like Sierra Canyon is you have to hit shots. The fact we were able to hit some gave us some energy especially on the defensive end and for the 50-50 balls," Hirata said.
Mandaquit hit a 3-pointer and made a layup as Iolani trailed, 27-26. Makani Tanaka knocked down a three from a kickout pass from Akila Indalecio and Indalecio hit a jumper to give the Raiders a 31-29 lead at halftime.
"It was exciting, we knew we could hang in there. We had all the confidence in the world. That was a big shot, we fed off the crowd," Mandaquit said.
"We practice situations at practice all the time especially when time is winding down at the end of the half or quarter. We always try to have a sense of urgency and awareness about what's going on. Akila did a great job of knowing when to attack and our ball screener did a great job setting a good ball screen so he could get a shot off," Hirata said of the last shot before the half.
Iolani led 33-31 after a drive from Casey Lyons, but Bronny James tied the game at 33. The Raiders got within two after Jones found a cutting Mandaquit to trail, 39-37, but the Trailblazers went on a 7-0 run and led 49-41 going into the fourth.
Wright, listed at 6-foot-9, muscled his way in the paint for six-straight points to open the fourth quarter and scored a total of nine points in the final stanza as Sierra Canyon outscored the host team, 17 to 8.
"They're big, their physicality wore us down. Like I said, we gave all our effort and left it out on the court. I'm very proud of the guys," Mandaquit said.
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