West Linn (Ore.) point guard Payton Pritchard was all business.
The 5-foot-11 sophomore scored 22 points and dished seven assists as the Lions outlasted host ‘Iolani 65-59 in the quarterfinals of the ‘Iolani Classic on Thursday night.
"That’s as good a point guard and shooting guard we’ll see all season," ‘Iolani coach Dean Shimamoto said. "That’s a great team."
West Linn will meet tournament favorite White Station (Tenn.), ranked No. 7 nationally by MaxPreps, in the semifinals.
The slam dunk contest will be on following the last semifinal game, roughly around 10 p.m.
"They’re a top 10 team. We’ll see," Pritchard said. "We just have to play our game."
Anthony Mathis, a 6-3 junior, finished with 15 points. He scored 12 in the second quarter.
"Coach lets me have the green light as long as I’m open," said Mathis, who hit all five of his free-throw attempts in the second quarter.
Coach Eric Viuhkola’s Lions, Oregon’s defending 6A state champions, was a run-and-gun outfit in an opening-round win over ‘Iolani II on Tuesday. The Division I Raiders, ranked No. 3 in the Star-Advertiser Top 10, didn’t allow a lot of transition, using a patient halfcourt offense to change the Lions’ tempo.
"They’re good at the 3-point line," Pritchard said.
The Lions limited the Raiders to 5-for-19 shooting from the arc, and Pritchard got his share of layups on the fastbreak, and sliced and diced his way inside against the Raiders’ man defense to find 6-5 post Ben Shearmire (13 points). In the second half, he found gaps through the lane to cash in, scoring 12 points after the break.
Six of those points came during a 13-4 run in the third quarter that allowed the Lions to break open a tight battle. After switching from man defense to a 2-3 zone, they opened a 51-39 lead late in the third after a steal by Pritchard led to a three-point play for Mathis.
‘Iolani got within 61-55 on Ikaika Phillip’s 3-point shot from the top with 2:47 remaining. After Zach Buscher hit two foul shots, the Raiders were within 61-57 with 1:07 left.
Pritchard hit four free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Phillip, a 6-1 senior, scored 20 points for ‘Iolani. Buscher added 13 points on 13-for-17 shooting at the foul line.
The Raiders dropped into the consolation bracket and will meet Mount Vernon (N.Y.) in a consolation game at 3:30 p.m. today.
"At this point, we’re still preparing and still looking for progress toward January 4," Shimamoto said, referring to the start of the ILH season. "It was our first big test on the big stage. I feel pretty good, but all the same, we’ve still got some work to do."
Phillip scored 10 points in the final quarter and Buscher had seven.
"I like seeing our guys didn’t quit," Shimamoto said.
White Station (Tenn.) 56, Mount Vernon (N.Y.) 51
LaDarius Coleman scored 17 points to lead the No. 7-ranked Spartans. Nych Smith and Chris Chiozza chipped in nine points each. Devonte Banner paced the Knights with 13 points. Yhanni Bartley, Brandon Martin and Judah Alexander added 10 points each. Alexander, a versatile 6-5 wing, left the game midway through the fourth quarter with an injury.
Consolation
Fuxin New Star (China) 48, Kaiser 47
‘Iolani II 41, Radford 32
Oroku (Japan) 47, Kailua 38
Kamehameha 54, Moanalua 47
