Bronny James, Sierra Canyon haven’t disappointed in rolling to LSI semifinals: ‘It was an onslaught’

James led the way with 19 points Wednesday against Central Catholic. “They came out and did what they did. They shot the heck out of the ball.”

Author:
Alex Tam
Publish date:
Dec 29, 2022 1:03 PM EST

By Alex Tam | Photos by Soobum Im

HILLSBORO, Ore. — The rock band that is Sierra Canyon continued its tour with another stop Wednesday night in the quarterfinals of the Les Schwab Invitational.

Behind all the hype, fanfare and anticipation, the Trailblazers played the hits that many in attendance expected from the No. 16 team in the country, according to the latest SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 high school basketball rankings.

Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) blew out Central Catholic (Portland), 87-48, in front of a packed gymnasium at Liberty High School.

About the only misstep from the Trailblazers came when they hit the floor for pregame warmups and failed to convert their routine backboard tip drill into a slam dunk by four-star combo guard Bronny James.

Sierra Canyon was flawless in everything it did from the opening tip and raced to an 18-0 lead in the first seven minutes.

If it wasn’t James flying down the court for a highlight jam, it was five-star junior guard Isaiah Elohim showing off his shot-making and versatility that make him a top-15 national prospect.

Three-star forward Ashton Hardaway, the son of NBA legend Penny Hardaway, also displayed a deft shooting touch from long range to help put the game away.

“I think we brought the intensity early,” Elohim said. “That’s what got us that big lead, like 18-0 in the first quarter, so our intensity was really good. … (It shows) we’re all locked in and we all know what we’re doing.”

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Sierra Canyon coach Andre Chevalier said he was happy with how “unselfish” his team played from the get-go.

“We played with a lot of energy,” Chevalier said. “So, for us, that’s what we’ve been working on — energy and effort, hitting the glass, and we did a very good job of that today. We shared the ball at a very high level. They’re very locked into the defensive scheme, and they’re attacking the glass, which I think is great. We’ll take that away and keep building on that.”

James scored 12 of his game-high 19 points in the first half, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from atop the key to give Sierra Canyon a 21-5 lead after the first quarter.

Hardaway added 11 of his 14 points in the opening half and finished 4 of 7 from 3-point range. The Trailblazers shot a blistering 69 percent from the field (20 of 29) in the first two quarters to take a 54-19 lead to halftime.

“They came out and did what they did,” Central Catholic coach David Blue said. “They shot the heck out of the ball. I’d only been able to catch a few of their games, and never seen them shoot the ball the way they shot it today, but I mean, it’s a testament to them.

“Our offense is our best defense. You have to be able to make baskets to set up our defense on the other end. They didn’t go in, and we had some guys who were cold to start the game, and then it was an onslaught. It was tough.”

The Rams didn’t score until junior Marley Zeller broke free for a jam with 57 seconds left in the first quarter. Central Catholic was outscored 33-14 in the second quarter and couldn’t get its offense going against a quick, long and athletic Sierra Canyon defense that held the Rams to 28.3 percent shooting (13 of 46) for the game.

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Blue said the biggest takeaway for his team is understanding mentally what it takes to consistently perform at the highest level every night.

“They’re different. There’s nobody like that in Oregon, so it’s understanding what we have to do,” Blue said. “Of course, don’t turn the ball over. In games we’ve won, it was great guard play, protect the ball, knock down 3-pointers, defend and rebound. Don’t do self-inflicted stuff. Their pressure just threw us off.”

Central Catholic sophomore Isaac Carr described it as a “great” atmosphere to play in — and one the Rams will learn from moving forward.

“I think we could’ve shot better,” said Carr, who scored a team-high 16 points. “We came out a little not really sure what to expect kind of thing. We could’ve definitely started a little better, but I think if we clean up just little things, like turnovers or making our shots, we could’ve played a lot closer of a game, for sure.

“They’re great players. They’re D-I, and that’s the experience you get. That’s what it’s going to be like in college, and that’s who you’re going to be playing against, so it’s great to get that experience early on, so you know what it’s like.”

Zeller had eight points for Central Catholic. Freshman Zamir Paschal and junior Miles Berry each had six points.

For Sierra Canyon, Elohim had 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting and three rebounds. Senior Jimmy Oladokun came off the bench with 12 points on a perfect 4 of 4 from the field with five rebounds in 12 minutes.

Senior Osiris Nalls Jr. added nine points, and junior Justin Pippen, son of NBA legend Scottie Pippen, had four points and four steals.

With the talent and depth up and down the roster, Chevalier said the biggest challenge in coaching a team like Sierra Canyon is getting everyone on the same page.

“First, you have to get them to like each other,” Chevalier said. “I think they really like each other. As you saw, they were sharing the ball together. That’s very important. With the depth we have, it’s sometimes letting them play for seven, eight minutes at a time is not going to work for us. They have to buy into playing three, four minutes, giving their best effort and coming out of the game. If they can lock into that, then we’ll be pretty good this year.”

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Coming off an 87-61 win over Jesuit in the first round and seeing a few days of the competition in Oregon, Chevalier described the level of play in the state as “high,” but the Trailblazers’ quickness has been an advantage so far.

“We’re just used to playing with a shot clock, so the game is so fast,” he said. “We play so fast, so I think that’s one of the reasons why we’re doing well up here. I don’t think they’re used to how fast the teams from out of town play.”

Added Elohim: “(The play) is very fundamental. A lot of players are kind of one-dribble-and-shoot type of players. The offenses are run by four or five guys, not just one player, so it’s a lot of team stuff.”

Sierra Canyon faces Oregon state title contender West Linn in the semifinals Thursday at 8:45 p.m. The Lions, featuring several players coming off a state title in football, are led by Oregon-bound senior Jackson Shelstad, who had 43 points in a quarterfinal win over Tualatin.

Two wins short of the LSI championship, Trailblazers coaches and players agree a title would mean a lot to their program.

“I’ve definitely been looking forward to playing in this tournament for a very long time, since seeing Montverde here and teams like that,” Elohim said. “I’ve been looking forward to it for sure, and it would mean everything (to win). We came here to get the job done.”

Added Chevalier: “It would mean everything right now because it teaches us how to win championships, how to deal with the grind, how to fight through and persevere. That’s something we need. We have a lot of new guys, we’re young, so we need to learn how to win.”

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Sierra Canyon 87, Central Catholic 48

Central Catholic – 5 – 14 – 17 – 12 — 48

Sierra Canyon – 21 – 33 – 21 – 12 — 87

Central Catholic — Isaac Carr 16, Zeller 8, Z. Paschal 6, Berry 6, N. Paschal 5, Thompson 4, Angelo 3, Riley, Scott, Colner, Eberwein

Sierra Canyon — Bronny James 19, Ashton Hardaway 14, Isaiah Elohim 13, Oladokun 12, Nalls Jr. 9, Metoyer 5, Williams 4, Pippen 4, Bryce James 3, Phillips 2, Cofield 2, Brown, Chuol, Thau