Another awesome day of hoops is underway at Father Bray Athletic Complex.
Day 3 of the ‘Iolani Prep Classic means we have eight games starting at 9:30 a.m. Some folks might not be interested in consolation games, but really, this is practically a separate bracket and tournament. Some of the finest teams in the islands going at it. Right now, it’s Hawaii Prep and Moanalua and the matchups are going to be very competitive. There are three more games in the next three days, and this is as fresh as any team will be the rest of the way.
The quarterfinal round tips off at 3:30 p.m. and the lone island team in contention is ‘Iolani, which meets No. 1 Montverde (Fla.) at 6:30 p.m.
Friday’s games
>> 9 a.m. Hawaii Prep vs. Mid-Pacific
>> 10:30 a.m. Roosevelt vs. Farrington
>> Noon Moanalua vs. Kailua
>> 1:30 p.m. St. Francis vs. Campbell
>> 3:30 p.m. West Linn vs. ‘Iolani
>> 5 p.m. Pleasant Grove vs. Oak Ridge
>> 6:30 p.m. Sierra Canyon vs. Westchester, semifinal
>> 8 p.m. La Lumiere vs. Montverde, semifinal
Thursday’s games
>> Moanalua 61, Hawaii Prep 56
>> Kailua 46, Mid-Pacific 43
>> St. Francis 50, Roosevelt 44
>> Campbell 51, Farrington 49
>> Westchester (Los Angeles) 68, Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) 63, quarterfinal
>> Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 63, Pleasant Grove (Utah) 54, quarterfinal
>> Montverde (Fla.) 94, ‘Iolani 33, quarterfinal
>> La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) 73, West Linn (Ore.) 54, quarterfinal
See game capsules below.
La Lumiere 73, West Linn 54, FINAL
Keion Brooks scored 21 points to lead the Lions into the semifinals. Gerald Drumgoole tallied 14 points, Paxson Wojcik had all 12 on four 3-pointers, and Isaiah Stewart scored 10.
Micah Garett scored 24 points to lead West Linn. Drayton Caolie did most of his damage in the first half and finished with 14 points. Bryson Cockett added 11. Garett, Caolie and Cockett each hit three treys.
La Lumiere 53, West Linn 37, end Q3
And that is why the Lions are ranked sixth in the nation. That was a total blitzkrieg.
La Lumiere 51, West Linn 32, 2:30, Q3
Brooks with the nice footwork in the lane for a dunk, and Gerald Drumgoole swishes a wing 3, and the run is now 18-0 in the past 4 minutes by La Lumiere. WOH.
La Lumiere 46, West Linn 32, 3:54, Q3
The run continues with the fastbreak for La Lumiere, and Wojcik splashes a wing 3 in transition to cap a 13-0 run.
La Lumiere 41, West Linn 32, 4:52, Q3
Paxson Wojcik ends a cold streak with a corner 3 to spark a 8-0 run by the Lions.
La Lumiere 30, West Linn 27, halftime
6-9 Isaiah Stewart and 6-8 Keion Brooks are generally unstoppable so far for La Lumiere, but West Linn guard Drayton Caolie is on fire from NBA range, and willing to attack the paint. A lot of moxie for the 6-foot senior guard.
La Lumiere 12, West Linn 12, end Q1
The Lakers are ranked No. 6 by MaxPreps, but struggled against the Lions’ 2-3 zone. West Linn hanging in there despite a significant size disadvantage.
Montverde 94, ‘Iolani 33, FINAL
Harlond Beverly scored 17 points to lead seven Eagles in double figures. Dariq Whitehead and Moses Moody scored 12 apiece, Caleb Houstan added 11, and bigs Balsa Koprivica and Precious Achiuwa tallied 10 each.
Frank Felix led the Raiders with six points.
Sam Wheeler with a very nice lefty layup high off the glass to avoid two shot blockers. Quite Ginobili-esque. Both teams empty their benches in the second half.
Montverde 67, ‘Iolani 28, end Q3
Montverde 42, ‘Iolani 15, halftime
The Eagles are a sight to behold, just disciplined and skilled and tall and long and omnipotent. They trailed 6-2, then went on a 40-9 run. The Raiders are undeterred, of course. PG Noah Bumanglag rebounded his own miss in the final seconds and banked in a contested, twisting bank shot from the top of the key to beat the buzzer. Maybe it didn’t beat the buzzer, some say, but all that matters is that the officials counted it and both teams are resting in their lockerrooms at the half.
Montverde 10, ‘Iolani 6, end Q1
Harlond Beverly’s FTs give Montverde its first lead, 8-6, with 3:05 left. ‘Iolani clearly smaller as a team, but enough size to contest shots in the paint and make the Eagles work a bit.
‘Iolani 6, Montverde 2, 4:19, Q1
Here we go. It’s the nation’s No. 1 team, Montverde Academy, against Hawaii’s No. 1 team, ‘Iolani. The Raiders miss their first two shots and travel once. Then Sam Wheeler rains a corner 3 in and the gym goes BALLISTIC. All that stress from finals week is being released here tonight. Montverde gets a layup, then an offensive foul and this place is celebrating insanely. Home crowd. THey’re going to enjoy this as long as it lasts. Frank Felix’s rainbow 3 from the right wing, splash, all net. Eletctric.
Sierra Canyon (Calif.) 63, Pleasant Grove (Utah) 54
Kenyon “KJ” Martin Jr. exploded for 23 points and Scottie Pippen Jr. tallied 17 in a tough win over the squad from Utah. 7-footer Christian Koloko added 10 points. The Vikings got 17 points from Casey Brown, who sank three of their 11 3-pointers. Tyler Fairbanks (14 points) and Max Miller (12) hit four treys apiece.
The Vikings and 7-4 C Matt Van Komen kept it close almost the entire way. Highlight for Sierra Canyon: Kenyon Martin Jr. dunking on the Viking giant in the first half. Sierra Canyon entered the Classic ranked No. 4 in the nation by MaxPreps.
Westchester 68, Oak Ridge 63, FINAL
Comets miss a 1-and-1, but Oak Ridge misses an open 3. Allen to the line for 1-and-1 with :12.5 left, hits the first and misses the second. Pioneers rush downcourt, and Walker misses a 3. Game over. What a game!
Jordan Brinson clutches up for 20 points, hitting three of his four treys in the first quarter. Twin towers Ka’Veon Batiste scored 11 and Kaelen Allen added 10. Ky-mani Pollard scored his nine points on three treys, and Kevin Bethel was extra clutch in the fourth quarter. He finished with eight crucial points.
The Comets overcame 8-for-17 shooting at the foul line.
Christopher Walker powered Oak Ridge with 25 points in an MVP-level performance. Niven Glover and Caleb Colemen added 12 points each. Emmanuel Abbedoyin tallied 11.
Westchester 67, Oak Ridge 63, :22.0, Q4
Bethel with a huuuge corner 3 to beat the shot clock and give the COmets a 67-61 lead with :28 left. Walker attacks immediately, fouled, hits two FTs. He’s playing like an MVP.
Westchester 64, Oak Ridge 61, :56.2, Q4
Offensive foul by Oak Ridge on a fastbreak, great sell by the Westchester defender. Then Batiste hustles to for a putback on a miss by Allen. Allen just hit a huge corner 3 to beat the shot clock, putting the Comets up 64-59. Pioneers pull within three with a pair of free throws. GREAT GAME.
Westchester 59, Oak Ridge 55, 2:55, Q4
Christopher Walker’s step-back 3 from the left wing tied the game at 55 with more than 5 minutes left. Then the Comets simply worked and grinded for the next two buckets.
Westchester 46, Oak Ridge 45, end Q3
Major surge by the Comets, who go ahead 46-45 on Kevin Bethel’s fastbreak layup with 1:13 left in the third. Oak Ridge entered game ranked No. 20 by MaxPreps. Westchester is No. 30.
Oak Ridge 45, Westchester 38, 2:49, Q3
An alley-oop dunk by 6-9 Christopher Walker and the Pioneers are playing with full confidence now.
Oak Ridge 34, Westchester 33, halftime
The Pioneers settled in during that second quarter, just solid team ball and balanced scoring. Meanwhile, the Comets went cold from deep, their gunners forcing shots against tough defense. Coach Ed Azzam had said yesterday that he wants Kaelen Allen (6-6) to be aggressive. Westchester’s other big, Ka’Veon Batiste, has been aggressive. Their chemistry goes up and down. On one high-low play, Batiste’s bounce pass from the foul line bounced off Allen’s foot and went out of bounds.
Westchester (Calif.) 21, Oak Ridge (Fla.) 17, end Q1
Jordan Brinson, a 6-3 senior, is on fire. He’s hit three treys, one from 25 and a buzzer-beater from about 32 feet out.
Campbell 51, Farrington 49, FINAL
Mitchell Williams led the Sabers with 22 points and Robert Hutchinson added 15. Raefe McEnroe paced the Governors with 22 points. Aeman Kurt Castro chipped in 10.
Campbell shot 5-for-16 from the free-throw line. Farrington shot 11-for-19 at the foul line.
Down 3, Johnson Bautista fouled taking a 25-foot 3 with :00.4 left. He misses the first FT, makes the second. He misses the third on purpose, but it’s not a good miss and Williams snags the rebound before McEnroe can have a chance. Sabers win.
Campbell 51, Farrington 48, :04.5, Q4
Campbell makes 1 of 2 FTs with :07.7 left and Farrington nearly throws the ball away at midcourt. Ball out of bounds, 4.5 seconds left, time out, Govs.
Campbell 50, Farrington 48, :08.8, Q4
Aeman Kurt Castro with the corner 3, time out, Govs. What a comeback.
Campbell 50, Farrington 45, 1:31, Q4
Another Campbell giveaway and McEnroe drills a straightaway 3. Another steal, but he misses a layup try. The Govs miss a corner that would have tied the game, and Campbell’s Tobias Savello scores on a follow shot for a five-point Sabers lead.
Campbell 48, Farrington 42, 3:21, Q4
Carelessness hurting Campbell. An unnecessary foul, Raefe McEnroe sinks two FTs. A backcourt violation with no pressure. Another foul as McEnroe has the ball in the low post, and he’s back at the line. The lead is shrinking for the Sabers. Then a sloppy pass, turnover, and Williams travels for a second time on the 3-point line.
Campbell 48, Farrington 38, 3:51, Q4
Govs have their strongest five on the floor, increasing fullcourt pressure and seizing momentum. Is it too late? Probably not.
Campbell 43, Farrington 28, end Q3
Robert Hutchinson splashed two treys to open the lead to 10 for Campbell. After Williams hit a 3, the lead was 39-26. Williams hit a 15-foot pull-up jumper to extend the lead to 15. Farrington struggled against Campbell’s 3-2 matchup zone during the Sabers’ 15-4 run.
Campbell 28, Farrington 22, halftime
Mitchell Williams, Campbell’s 6-3 wing, has caught fire in the second quarter. He scored 11 of his 14 points in the second. Govs coach Steven Leopoldo is not happy and letting his team know.
Farrington 14, Campbell 12, end Q1
The Governors had an eight-point lead early on. Coach Steven Leopoldo using his platoon system, five in, five out.
St. Francis 50, Roosevelt 44, FINAL
Kordel Ng 13 points and Kameron Ng 12 for the Saints. Jett Tanuvasa was very active defensively and added 10 points. His ankle looks a lot better this week. Chris Lee’s 13 points with three treys led Roosevelt. Center Lio Ilalio added 10 points.
All in all, a solid win by a St. Francis team that is clearly a little fatigued after all these tournaments. They won today with basketball IQ and patience. Kameron Ng normally gets 20-30 shots off, but his ankle is far from 100 percent and he played smart. Roosevelt? They hung in there without Micah Visoria and competed, even led in the second half against the No. 5 team in the state. Is Visoria worth six points? Yup. And then some. It’s just ironic that it was a rolling ‘Iolani player who laid out Visoria a few weeks ago for a very unfortunate and unnecessary injury. Bad breaks of the game.
St. Francis 49, Roosevelt 44, 1:26, Q4
Down 13, the Rough Riders wake up after a time out and go on an 8-0 run to get within 49-44… then two turnovers in a row.
St. Francis 49, Roosevelt 36, 5:00, Q4
7-0 run by the Saints to begin the fourth quarter.
St. Francis 42, Roosevelt 36, end Q3
Pace is low, tempo is slow and Roosevelt is just hanging around. The Rough Riders have no desire to run the break, but they’re getting good looks — when they don’t turn the ball over. Which might explain why Coach Steve Hathaway doesn’t let them run a lot. And, of course, they’re playing without leading scorer, veteran guard Micah Visoria (ankle).
The Saints aren’t forcing things either. With Kameron Ng playing on a sore ankle, F/C Makua Marumoto still out, the rotation is tight and the slower tempo is fine with them. Kordel Ng is shooting well after an inconsistent start. He probably leads the state in minutes played, and Coach Ron Durant is getting him more rest than usual in this one.
St. Francis 25, Roosevelt 22, halftime
12-5 run by the Saints to close out the half. Their 2-2-1 halfcourt pressure is enough to force some bad passes by the Rough Riders.
Kailua 46, No. 7 Mid-Pacific 43, FINAL
Torres-Kahapea sinks the second FT for a three-point lead. MPI inbounds, no time outs, and a lob pass to midcourt is tipped away and stolen. Time runs out. Kailua with the comeback win. Torres-Kahapea leads the Surfriders with 23 points, hitting four treys and going 5-for-7 at the foul line. Ramos led the Owls with 19 points, including 11-for-13 at the FT line.
Kailua 45, Mid-Pacific 43, :05.3, Q4
Kaniala Williams’ putback opens the lead to 44-39, but he fouls Ramos on a three-point play with :22.4 left. It’s 44-42, Kailua. MPI fouls Isaiah Hopson with :20.3 remaining. He misses the first FT, misses the second. Ramos misses a 3 with Hopson contesting, but foul called underneath on Kailua. Kahue-Parker at the line with :08.4 left. Makes the first FT, long on the second. Kailua rebounds, foul with :05.3 left. Torres-Kahapea, their best FT shooter. He hits the first FT, it’s 45-43 and MPI calls time out.
Kailua 42, Mid-Pacific 39, :53.2, Q4
Nainoa Peters’ bank shot in the paint gives Kailua a 41-39 lead with 2:30 left. He adds a FT to give the Surfriders a three-point lead with 1:52 left.
Mid-Pacific 37, Kailua 32, 6:29, Q4
Danton Nitta splashes a corner 3 and Ramos drops a floater in the paint to keep the Owls ahead.
Mid-Pacific 32, Kailua 28, end Q3
It’s a 14-9 run by the Owls. Sophomore Elijah Kahue-Parker got MPI going in the paint, and the Ramos finished the quarter strong at the foul line.
Kailua 19, No. 7 Mid-Pacific 18, halftime
Lot of offensive firepower with Kailua’s Everett Torres-Kahapea and MPI’s Colin Ramos, but it’s been a physical defensive battle.
Moanalua 61, Hawaii Prep 56, FINAL
Kelsen-Jaye Walker hits a tough, hanging bank shot in the lane with :25 left. HPA fouls Robinson, who misses the 1-and-1, but steals a pass. He’s back at the line, 1-and-1, :09 left. He’s long on the FT, but steals the ball from Ulinas on the dribble. Robinson is fouled on his shot. Hits both FTs for a five-point lead, :04.2. Na Menehune escape with the win.
Moanalua is No. 7 in the Star-Advertiser Boys Basketball Top 10. Robinson led Na Menehune with 25 points and McRaven tallied 11. Ulinas led HPA with 24 points. Kelsen-Jaye Walker and Javan Perez chipped in 10 points each for HPA.
Ka Makani shot 9-for-10 at the charity stripe. Moanalua improved at the foul line today, hitting 8-for-13 attempts.
Moanalua 59, Hawaii Prep 54, :57, Q4
HPA has cut the lead to 57-54 on free throws by Ulinas with 1;05 left. Moanalua turned it over against HPA’s 2-1-2 halfcourt press, and nearly repeated that, but a foul has been called. CJ Bonilla sinks two FTs.
Moanalua 57, Hawaii Prep 50, 1:50, Q4
HPA cut the lead to 55-48 on an open straightaway 3 by Valentias Ulinas, a 6-5 junior. Moanalua turned the ball over, but then got the fastbreak going on the next possession and Robinson hustled for a putback on a missed layup by a teammate.
Moanalua 53, Hawaii Prep 42, 4:44, Q2
HPA is running flex on offense and Moanalua coach Byron Mello has his man defense in complete switch mode. That will put the onus on Ka Makani as the shot clock ticks. Robinson with a nice pull-up J at the elbow, drawing contact from his defender after beating him on the handoff.
Moanalua 50, Hawaii Prep 39, end Q3
Ka Makani have a guard on Moanalua’s Geremy Robinson, and though Robinson has a major size advantage, he isn’t posting up. Isaiah Sugiura sparked Moanalua’s run with a 3 and a layup to start the third quarter.
Moanalua 34, Hawaii Prep 24, halftime
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