For one half, ‘Iolani had the nation’s No. 1 team on the ropes.
Then Goliath awoke. Ramel Lloyd stepped up as Bronny James sat with foul trouble, lifting Sierra Canyon to a 66-49 win over the Raiders in quarterfinal-round action Monday at the ‘Iolani Classic.
Lloyd, a 6-foot-5 senior, had 20 points, four rebounds and a big assist to cap the Trailblazers’ 16-2 second-half run. That turned a 35-33 deficit into a 62-45 lead. From there, with James back on the floor, Sierra Canyon had full control.
“I feel the same way as I felt after the last game. We didn’t play very well. We won,” Trailblazers coach Andre Chevalier said. “ ‘Iolani played great, especially in the first half. Their young guards are great. We were lucky enough to win it in the second half.”
JJ Mandaquit, a 6-foot freshman, had the spotlight and shined brightly for ‘Iolani with 18 points against tight, rugged man-to-man defense.
“I’m excited. There’s some things we could’ve cleaned up to try and get back up, but I’m just proud. We gave all our effort out there and left everything on the court,” said Mandaquit, who already has a scholarship offer from Portland.
Kijani Wright, SC’s 6-9 center, took command during the second-half run and finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds.
The Raiders countered Wright’s length and strength by fouling him as often as possible, but eventually, the powerhouse from California took command in the second half.
“We just wanted to give ourselves a chance. The first thing was belief,” Raiders coach Ryan Hirata said. “You’ve got to have belief that you can hang in there. I’m so proud of my guys. I think tonight I think they made ‘Iolani and the community very proud of the way they represented Hawaii.”
Tim Rudovskiy and Dylan Metoyer added 11 points each for Sierra Canyon.
The Raiders rode momentum for parts of the first quarter. Down 9-0, they rallied to within 15-13 after a wing 3 by Bailey Bumanglag.
By the end the quarter, the Trailblazers had a 19-14 lead and ‘Iolani had already fouled them 10 times.
The tactic worked. Sierra Canyon didn’t get into any offensive rhythm, and after Jack Jones hammered down a dunk in transition, the Raiders tied the game at 19-all early in the second quarter.
Sierra Canyon regained momentum with an 8-2 run for a 27-21 lead with 1:52 left in the first half, but foul-shooting woes plagued them.
Meanwhile, Mandaquit splashed a wing 3, then turned a steal into a breakaway layup, cutting the lead to one.
After Rudovskiy’s jumper in the paint opened the lead to 29-26 for SC, Aaron Claytor fed Makani Tanaka for a corner 3 to tie the game.
With 5 seconds left in the half, Akila Indalecio’s 17-footer from the right wing gave ‘Iolani its first lead, 31-29, going into the half.
After cancellations earlier in the day, the Raiders crowd — filling more than half of the gym — was abuzz for the first time in nearly two years.
The Trailblazers shot 6-for-13 at the charity stripe in the first half.
James sat much of the first half after his second personal foul, then he picked up two quick fouls in the third quarter and sat with 4:48 left.
It didn’t change SC’s surge. After Metoyer’s steal and layup gave the Trailblazers a 37-35 lead, the run continued. The 16-2 run, capped by a bank-shot 3 by Rudovskiy, opened the lead to 49-37 with 1:52 left in the third.
The Raiders got within six after two foul shots by Zacary Tenn and a bank shot by Mandaquit before the end of the third quarter.
Wright came alive, scoring Sierra Canyon’s next seven points, all in the paint. Hirata called time out with his team down 56-43 and 6:35 to play.
Then came back-to-back threes by the team in navy blue. Lloyd sank a corner 3, then came up with a steal and fed Metoyer for a corner 3 of his own. The Trailblazers led 62-45 with 5 minutes remaining.
Pembroke Pines (Fla.) 75, Central Catholic (Ore.) 50
Pembroke Pines opened a 6-0 lead before the Rams rallied for a 12-11 lead before the end of the first quarter. A layup by Isaiah Williams and foul-line jumper by Geoff Sprouse pushed the Jaguars ahead 15-12 going into the second quarter.
The Jaguars then forced three turnovers in a row during an 11-1 run to extend the lead to 26-13 with 4:30 to play in the second quarter. After Caelum Etheridge’s 3-pointer, the Jaguars led 34-15.
The semifinals brought a semblance of normalcy to an otherwise challenging day to the Classic. The first two games, in the morning, between Kalaheo and Maryknoll, and Kailua and Damien, were canceled for safety protocols.
After Punahou’s 77-32 win over Waialua — both teams cleared the pre-game testing at the school infirmary — the Leilehua-St. Paul VI (Va.) quarterfinal game was called off, again for safety protocols.
Soon after that, officials modified the tournament schedule and spectator policy. The 250 ‘Iolani students who had passes to see all tournament games were restricted from attending. Only team guests were still allowed to enter the gym.
Today’s slate of games was trimmed from seven games to three, along with an exhibition game between ‘Iolani and Baldwin.
All other local teams were sliced out of the tournament.
“Some of the local teams are testing positive,” ‘Iolani Head of School Timothy Catrell said. “With the upsurge in (COVID-19) numbers in the state, we want to protect everyone and give our mainland teams a chance to play without risking them entering quarantine protocol here.”
Last week, a tournament at Damien was canceled for safety protocols.
Taneya Woodie, a production manager for theSUVtv.com, has been to nine high school tournaments across the country this season.
“This is the first time that I’ve seen on-site testing before a game, which is excellent. It is needed,” she said. “You see it in the NBA and NFL.”
Providing national-powerhouse level teams with guaranteed, elite competition is crucial, Catrell said.
The slam dunk contest slated for Monday night was also canceled.
‘IOLANI CLASSIC
Monday
Kalaheo vs. Maryknoll, canceled
Kailua vs. Damien, canceled
Punahou 73, Waialua 32
Leilehua vs. St. Paul VI (Va.), canceled
Pembroke Pines (Fla.) 75, Central Catholic (Ore.) 50
Sierra Canyon (Calif.) 66, ‘Iolani 49
7:30 p.m. Baldwin vs. West Linn (Ore.)
Today
1 p.m. ‘Iolani vs. Central Catholic (Ore.)
3 p.m. Pembroke Pines (Fla.) vs. Sierra Canyon (Calif.), semifinal
4:30 p.m. St. Paul IV vs. West Linn, semifinal
6:30 p.m. ‘Iolani vs. Baldwin, exhibition
Wednesday
Noon TBD
2:00 p.m. TBD
4 p.m. Championship game
