Classic New York, all day, all night.
Christ the King’s relentless in-your-grill, man-to-man defense set the tone on Day One of the ‘Iolani Prep Classic. The Royals swarmed and smothered Kamehameha from start to finish in a 68-29 win on Monday night.
Dwayne Pierce, their all-positions lockdown defender, led the way on the offensive end, as well. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound senior had 20 points. Jayden Ramirez tallied 11.
Pierce, built like a college tight end, believes in the message of coach Joe Arbitello.
“Our coach preaches you’ve got to play defense to win games. You’ve got to have the same intensity and be engaged all game, not get tired,” said Pierce, who covers any position 1 through 5. “He’s pretty strict about it. He’s very strict about it.”
Christ the King’s center, Qinfang Pang, agreed.
“Yeah, definitely. If you can’t play defense, you can’t play,” the 6-9 senior said.
Using his length and agility, Pierce defended at midcourt and in the paint. The quick Warriors just couldn’t get past the Iowa State signee.
“My goal is to prepare for college right now, to be able to help produce for my team next year,” he said.
The Royals raced to a 10-0 lead, and by the end of the first quarter, their fastbreak and halfcourt zone offense generated three slam dunks.
By the time the Warriors realized they could use some basic fundamentals to get past the taller Royals, the visitors from New York City had a 15-point lead in the second quarter. Christ the King led at intermission, 37-15.
The Royals will have a rematch with Pace Academy (Ga.) in the quarterfinal round on Wednesday. The teams met in London last season, a game won by Christ the King.
“They’re a very fast-paced team. They can score the ball,” Pierce said. “They put a lot of defensive pressure early, full court. With that being said, we’ve got to stay together, stay poised and play our game. And defend.”
Christian Togiai led Kamehameha (6-5) with 10 points.
Pace Academy (Ga.) 78, Kamehameha-Maui 27
Eric Chatfield pumped in 12 points to lead the Knights in their opener.
Kyle Greene and LJ Moore tallied 11 points apiece, and Chandler Bing chipped in 10.
Dylan Schnitzer led the Warriors with eight points.
The Knights, who arrived in Honolulu the day before the tournament began, missed every 3-point try in the first quarter, but dominated the paint and showed patience against Kamehameha-Maui’s 2-3 matchup zone.
“I feel great. We’re here now and we’re ready to play. We’re going to compete as much as we can see what happens,” Knights coach Sharman White said. “We moved the ball really, really well and tried to find the open guy. That makes a difference when you play in a tournament like this. The games are going to start to get a little bit more intense and competitive.”
The Knights take on Christ the King (N.Y.) on Wednesday in the quarterfinal round.
“We played them last year in London and lost by about six,” White said. “This is a good chance for us to get back with them.”
St. John Bosco (Calif.) 69, Saint Louis 47
Brandon McCoy and Kade Bonam poured in 21 points each as the Braves ran away with the win.
The Braves brought poise and tenacious defense to the floor, taking command midway through the opening quarter to advance. St. John Bosco is No. 9 in the MaxPreps national rankings.
Pupu Sepulona led the Crusaders, two-time defending state champions in Hawaii, with 24 points.
St. John Bosco will play tournament host ‘Iolani on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in a. quarterfinal matchup.
‘Iolani 78, Kauai 46
Mana Lau Kong powered inside for 21 points as the Raiders broke a close game open with a 24-6 second-half run. Luke Tobin added 12 points for ‘Iolani (8-2).
Josh Rego had 11 points and Kalaikea Estaban added 10 for Kauai.
Defending KIF champion Kauai was overwhelmed in the opening minutes and trailed by 16 at one point. They chipped away and brought the lead down to 42-36 with 4 minutes left in the third quarter.
Aydan Goo’s corner 3 opened the lead to 47-38. Goo and Aiden Wong teamed up for a steal and midcourt moments later, and Wong’s layup opened the lead to 49-38 with 2:09 to go. Jackson Dempster’s jump hook in the paint extended the margin to 13.
