Kaden Hansen leads Auburn (Washington) to State Champions Invitational final
TAMPA, Fla.- Kaden Hansen scored 17 points, including five made 3-pointers, to lead Auburn (Washington) to a 58-41 victory over Norcross (Georgia) in the semifinals of the State Champions Invitational on Thursday.
Auburn's leading scorer London Johnson was nursing an injury and did not play. Senior guard Dae’quon Watson added 13 points, four rebounds and three assists in the win.
The Trojans began the game on a 9-2 run as Hansen knocked down a pair of three-pointers in the middle of that span. The Trojans took a 17-9 lead after the opening eight minutes of play.
In the second quarter, the Blue Devils went on a run to make things interesting, cutting their deficit to five. After going down 28-14 with 2:56 remaining in the first half, the Blue Devils ended the half on a 6-0 run to cut the lead to 28-20 at halftime.
The Trojans poured it on in the second half. Senior guard Tre Blassingame had four of his six steals, along with all 10 of his points in the second half.
In the fourth quarter the Trojans went on a 12-2 run to extend their lead to 18 at 53-35. Their lead never dropped below 15 points the rest of the game.
Junior guard Mier Panoam led the Blue Devils with 16 points and seven rebounds in the loss. Senior forward Jerry Deng added 11 points and 14 rebounds, while junior guard Michael Zhang struggled finishing with just five points on 1-of-7 shooting.
Despite being outrebounded 45-32 and outshot from the free throw line 18 attempts to just three, the Trojans did win the turnover battle (18-6).
The Trojans (28-2) will face Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale) on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2.
Here are photos from the game:
(Photos by Annette Wilkerson)
