The ‘Iolani Raiders sealed off the paint, but they just couldn’t contain Jack Turner.
St. John Bosco’s 6-foot-3 guard drilled three first-half treys as the Braves rolled to a 71-40 quarterfinal win over the host team on Wednesday at the ‘Iolani Prep Classic. The Raiders gained some momentum and more confidence with each passing quarter.
“We came out a little slow and intimidated. You cannot give examples of that length and athleticism at practice. Once we settled down, we competed, and that’s all we can ask of our guys,” ‘Iolani coach Ryan Hirata said. “I think we got better today.”
Brandon McCoy finished with 17 points and Kade Bonam added 13 for the Braves.
Ayden Goo led ‘Iolani (8-2) with 13 points, connecting on three treys.
“Our guys played really hard. Early in the game we had a lot of deflections, which got us out in transition,” Braves coach Matt Dunn said. “I’m a fortunate guy. I don’t take it for granted. I get to coach some really good players. We’re pretty deep. It’s going to be fun the next couple of days.”
St. John Bosco, from Bellflower, Calif., is ranked No. 9 by Max Preps. The Braves will face Christ the King (N.Y.) today in the semifinal round. Christ the King edged Pace Academy (Ga.), 64-58.
‘Iolani’s game plan had full merit, using their height to keep the rim area occupied. Turner, however, had other plans.
“Usually, I can feel it in warmups. I can tell from my first couple of form shots. In a game, it’s all confidence. If I’m having a rough day, not feeling confidence, just shooting it with full confidence,” the Loyola-Chicago signee said.
Dunn is looking forward to the matchup with his counterpart and friend, Joe Arbitello.
“Their coach is a good friend of mine. We’ve done some Nike stuff together. We coached in an all-star game in New York about a month ago,” Dunn said. “Obviously, two of their best players didn’t play today, so I’ll assume they’ll be ready to go tomorrow. It’ll be a great challenge.”
Elzie Harrington displayed the quickest first step among any of the elite point guards and wings in the tourney. The 6-5 junior finished with 10 points.
“We’re excited to play a lot of great teams. It’s a great experience in the Hawaii environment,” Harrington said.
Of the eight mainland entries in the Classic, St. John Bosco is the lone program from the West Coast.
“That’s why we play in these tournaments, to play these East Coast teams,” Harrington said. “We’re here in Hawaii. We’re going to Springfield (Mass.) in January to show we can compete with everybody.”
Christ the King (N.Y.) 64, Pace Academy (Ga.) 58
Cameron Ziegler scored seven of his game-high 26 points in the final 26.2 seconds as the Royals escaped with a win in the quarterfinals.
Chiko Kalu chipped in 11 points for Christ the King.
Eric Chatfield led Pace with 22 points. Chandler Bing added 11.
Ziegler swished a contested, straightaway 3 with 26.2 seconds left to open the Royals’ lead to 60-56.
Pace’s Kyle Greene made two free throws with 17 seconds to go, cutting the margin to two points.
Ziegler then hit two FTs with 15 seconds left to open the lead to 62-58. After a Pace turnover, Ziegler sank two more foul shots for a six-point cushion with 9.8 seconds remaining.
DeMatha (Md.) 78, The Master’s Academy 49
Malcolm Thomas scored 16 points as the Stags overpowered the Eagles. Kade Sebastian had 11 points, and Ace Meeks and Charles Thomas III chipped in 10 apiece.
Dylan Labuhn led the Eagles with 13 points. Micah Taber added 11 as they were limited 10 made 3-pointers. They made 18 treys in a win over Kaimuki on Tuesday.
Oak Ridge (Fla.) 60, Vashon (Mo.) 56
Tyler Johnson scored 17 points and Jamier Jones added 12 as Oak Ridge advanced.
Christian Williams led Vashon with 17 points. Trey Williams Jr., Dehrio McCaskill and Nassir Binion had 10 points each.
Consolation bracket
>> Saint Louis 41, Mililani 28
The two-time defending state champions got 11 hard-earned points by Pupu Sepulona to pull away from the Trojans. Shancin Revuelto added nine points and Jordan Posiulai chipped in eight as Saint Louis turned a 24-22 lead into a runaway win.
Lauvai Pine led Mililani with seven points.
>> Kamehameha 63, Kaimuki 54
High scorers: Kamehameha—Kainoa Wade 14, Christian Togiai 12. Kaimuki—Daysen Lupica 15, Regan Fritz-Betiru 12 (4 treys), Jeremiah White 11 (3 treys).
>> Kamehameha-Maui 55, Moanalua 32
High scorers: Kamehameha-Maui—Kamahiwa Molitau 14. Moanalua—Gavin Pommerenk 12, Austin Oguma 10.
>> Mid-Pacific 56, Kauai 35
High scorers: MPI—Logan Mason 19, Jarek Yee 11. Kauai—Josh Rego 16.
