By Wes Nakama
The No. 2-ranked girls basketball team in the country, featuring the No. 1-ranked sophomore in the country, proved to be too much for four-time defending state champion ‘Iolani on Friday, as visiting Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) pulled away from the Raiders, 72-38.
The tall and athletic Trailblazers, who are ranked No. 2 in the nation by ESPN and No. 5 by MaxPreps, improved to 8-0 and will face No. 5/No. 9-ranked Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) in Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. championship game of the ‘Iolani Prep Classic. The Raiders (11-1) will face Clovis West (Fresno, Calif.), the No. 7-ranked team in California, in the third-place game at 3:30 p.m.
Sierra Canyon, featuring super sophomore sensation Jerzy Robinson, the nation’s No. 1-ranked sophomore, blew past defending OIA defending champion Campbell on Thursday, 70-21. The Sabers had trailed, 21-11, before the Trailblazers used a 22-0 run to stretch the lead to 43-11 late in the third period.
Friday night, ‘Iolani stayed relatively close until Sierra Canyon went on a 13-2 run to grow a 31-20 lead into a 44-22 advantage on Robinson’s layup with 2:12 remaining in the third period. The Raiders could not get closer than 18 points the rest of the way.
“Definitely, I think fatigue played a part in the second half, they kind of wore us out,” ‘Iolani coach Dean Young said. “They hit some tough shots, hit some three’s … I mean, they’re No. 2 in the nation for a reason. They’ve got some girls who are just at a different level from us.”
After falling behind 9-2 in the first three minutes, the Raiders pulled to within 11-8 after Mia Frye made a steal and layup with 1:18 remaining in the first period. The Trailblazers began the second period with another 9-2 run to lead 20-10, but ‘Iolani closed it to 23-18 on Keiki McGee’s two free throws with 1:24 left in the half.
Ashley Redd then hit a 3-pointer to give Sierra Canyon a 26-18 lead at the break.
“We were impressed with their defense, and they went to a zone, which stalls us,” Trailblazers coach Alicia Komaki said of the Raiders. “They’re a great program, we knew that coming into this game. We knew they would compete, we knew they would throw some different defenses at us, and they have good guard play.”
All six field goals during Sierra Canyon’s 13-2 run in the third period came off of transition.
“The biggest thing is you have to get stops to get into transition, and the game was so slow (in the first half), we weren’t really able to get out (on the break),” Kozaki said. “But you saw in the third quarter, we kind of stepped it up defensively. It was just a matter of, we weren’t playing Sierra Canyon basketball. And that’s it — that’s all they really needed to hear. They respond well to halftime adjustments.”
Mac Randolph led the Trailblazers with a game-high 19 points, Robinson added 18 points and Izela Arenas contributed 13 points.
Frye led the Raiders with 10 points.
“Definitely in the first half, we had a lot of momentum and energy, and it was fun,” said Frye, a 5-foot-7 junior guard. “I feel like for the most part, we did pretty well … I think it was just us enjoying this great experience of playing a nationally ranked team.”
Photos: Lori McKeown
Sidwell Friends 59, Clovis West 33
Jordyn Jackson scored a game-high 22 points — including six 3-pointers — and Genesis Schneeberg added 11 points to lead the Quakers (3-1) past the Golden Eagles (10-2).
Sidwell Friends led 13-12 after one period, 23-18 at halftime and 33-29 late in the third, before surging to a 19-2 run over the next seven minutes and stretching the lead to 52-31 after Jackson’s 3-pointer from the left wing.
Kamehameha 56, Kahuku 47
Nihoa Dunn scored a game-high 30 points to lead the Warriors, who led 9-8 after one period, 29-28 at halftime and 43-38 entering the fourth.
Kamehameha (8-1) will play Campbell (5-2) for fifth place at 6 p.m.
Kahuku (2-4) will play Kailua (2-3) at 2 p.m.
Campbell 70, Kailua 15
Five players scored in double figures — led by Taysia Molina-Schulte’s 15 points and Aliyah Bantolina’s 13 points — as the Sabers blew past the Surfriders.
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