Zania Socka drove for the go-ahead bucket with 1.2 seconds left as Sidwell Friends (Md.) edged Sierra Canyon (Calif.) 49-48 in the championship game of the ‘Iolani Prep Classic on Saturday night.
A packed house at Father Bray Athletic Complex saw Sidwell Friends rally after falling behind 9-0 at the outset.
Socka was ready for her moment.
“Honestly, I don’t remember our last play,” the 6-foot-4 senior said. “The girl gave me my left hand and I’m really good at my left hand. This was a big play and I’m confident on the court. I know my coach. I know she believes in me.”
It was an epic clash between national powerhouses. Sidwell Friends (4-1) is No. 5 in the MaxPreps national rankings. Sierra Canyon (8-1) is ranked No. 3 in the USA Today Super 25.
Quakers coach Tamika Dudley implored her team to bring their passion and physicality to court from start to finish, particularly in the paint.
“We got a lot better in the four days that we were here playing. I love how all of our kids stepped up at different moments. We have a really balanced team and we don’t have any selfish kids. We play as a unit,” Dudley said.
Socka finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, including seven caroms on the offensive board. She also had three steals and a blocked shot. Kendall Dudley added 13 points on 6-for-11 shooting with three assists and three steals. Jordyn Jackson tallied eight points with two steals.
Jerzy Robinson, a 6-foot sophomore, led Sierra Canyon with 17 points, adding three assists and two steals. Center Emilia Krstevski had 11 points and four blocks, and Izela Arenas chipped in 11 points.
Socka was selected Most Valuable Player of the ‘Iolani Classic. Robinson was named Most Outstanding Player. Jackson, Dudley and point guard Ava Yoon of Sidwell Friends were named to the all-tournament team. Also selected were Mac Rudolph, Krstevski and Arenas of Sierra Canyon, Athena Tomlinson and Keegan Medeiros of Clovis West, Mia Frye and Keiki McGee of ‘Iolani, and Aliyah Bantolina of Campbell.
The Trailblazers raced to their 9-0 start by outrunning the Quakers in transition.
“I think we rushed. We were a little nervous. We lost to them last year,” Socka said. “Once we got into the game and played our own pace, we knew we were better than them overall. Once we knew that, we had it from there.”
The Quakers used a 1-2-2 zone to counter the long-range shooting of Arenas and Robinson.
Sidwell Friends found its footing and cut the lead to 15-12 in the second quarter. It was, by far, the most physical battle of the tournament as officials allowed more contact under the rim on rebounds and loose balls.
By mid-second quarter, it became a tactical challenge for Sierra Canyon’s defense. Robinson was assigned to cover Jackson, a 6-1 playmaker who had started cold and began to heat up.
The Blazers stretched the lead to six, but the Quakers pulled within 21-19 by halftime.
Sierra Canyon opened the second half with a 10-2 run, drilling two treys. Sidwell never got its fast break going, unable to make up for the transition points by the Trailblazers early in the contest.
A reverse layup by Dudley followed by an and-1 play by Marley Long tied it at 31 late in the third quarter. Yoon’s fast-break layup gave the Quakers their first lead, 33-31, with less than a minute left in the third stanza.
Robinson’s hang-time layup down the lane tied it at 33 before the buzzer.
She continued her attack, driving the lane, drawing contact and hitting two foul shots to push the Trailblazers back in front, 35-33.
Jackson then drove on Robinson from the top of the key. Robinson had perfect position as Jackson threw up a one-handed bank shot while falling out of bounds to tie the game.
Jackson’s elbow jumper opened the lead to two, but Arenas’ 23-foot trey gave Sierra Canyon a 38-37 lead.
Socka’s and-1 score on the low post pushed the Quakers back up, 40-38, with 4:33 remaining. Robinson then powered her way through traffic for a tough 10-foot jumper in the key.
Dudley, a 6-2 senior, then splashed a 3 for a 43-40 Sidwell Friends lead.
Arenas clutched up with a catch-and-shoot corner 3, tying the game at 43 with three minutes left.
Robinson followed with a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:05 remaining. A layup by Dudley cut Sierra Canyon’s lead to 46-45 with 1:50 left.
Dudley battled under the offensive glass and went to the foul line with 56.8 seconds left. She missed both shots, but Socka hauled in the offensive carom and scored for a 47-46 Quakers lead.
Randolph collected the ball off Robinson’s miss from 3 and scored with 20.5 seconds to go for a 48-47 Sierra Canyon lead.
Sidwell Friends called timeout with 12.4 ticks on the clock. Trapped in the corner on the inbounds pass, Socka was fouled with 7.1 seconds to go. Sierra Canyon had just three team fouls for the fourth quarter at that point.
The Quakers ran a misdirection play and fed Genesis Schneeberg, who had a size mismatch, in front of the rim. However, Krstevski stepped in and roofed Schneeberg for a jump ball.
Then came Socka’s explosive drive to the basket after catching the inbounds pass near the right elbow.
She missed the ensuing and-1 free throw and Sierra Canyon immediately called timeout with 1.1 seconds left.
Socka then intercepted the inbounds pass near midcourt intended for Robinson.
Bonus shots: Yoon won the 3-point contest in sudden death over Sierra Canyon’s Christy Reynoso.
Third place
Clovis West (Calif.) 66, No. 1 ‘Iolani 41
Athena Tomlinson scored 27 points, connecting on three triples, to cap an outstanding tournament. Keegan Medeiros added 12 points.
Freshman Justice Kekauoha led the Raiders with 11 points.
Fifth place
No. 2 Kamehameha 53, No. 6 Campbell 51
Mikylah Labanon’s layup as — or after — time expired lifted the Warriors over the Sabers.
Campbell senior Aliyah Bantolina tied the game with her own layup. Kamehameha called timeout with 5.4 seconds on the clock. Labanon went the length of the court, laying the ball off the glass with her right hand, but the clock was on :00 before she released the ball.
Campbell coach Jazmin Corpuz questioned the scorer’s table, but referees had already ruled the shot legal, giving Kamehameha a win in the tournament’s fifth-place game.
After the game, Labanon saw the replay and a screenshot of the ball still in her hand at :00. That made her wince, but only for a moment.
“Basically, I just needed to get the ball and it was either for me to take it or get a shot for someone else. I saw my lane open, so I just took it to the basket. I didn’t even look at the clock. I just took it. I thought that it wasn’t going to make it on time, but it ended up counting,” she said. “That was my first game-winner. I was really excited.”
Labanon, a junior guard, finished with 13 points. Sophomore center Nihoa Dunn, facing double- and triple-teams all night, finished with 16 points for Kamehameha (11-1), which had lost its first game of the season on Thursday against nationally ranked Sidwell Friends (Md.)
Bantolina led all scorers with 17 points. Taysia Molina-Schulte added 16 points for Campbell (4-4)
Seventh place
No. 7 Kahuku 68, Kailua 48
Makana Kamakeeaina had 11 points and Tuisila Wily-Ava tallied 10 for the Lady Raiders.
Kailua guard Kiani Ho‘olulu led all scorers with 24 points, hitting 10 of her 13 free-throw attempts. Myah Galdeira added 14 points.
