It’s just possible that fans at the ‘Iolani Prep Classic got to see three teams that could be at the top of the national rankings this season.
La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.), ranked No. 6 by MaxPreps, swept through the Classic, completing its run with a 72-58 win over No. 20 Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) on Saturday night in what amounted to a co-championship game. Because the Lakers are an independent team, the normal format that would’ve pit them against Sierra Canyon (Calif.) was rearranged.
No. 4 Sierra Canyon, featuring Scotty Pippen, son of Chicago Bulls Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, and Kenyon “KJ” Martin Jr., son of former NBA all-star Kenyon Martin, had to beat No. 1 Montverde to claim a share of the Classic title. Montverde had already lost to La Lumiere 58-51 in Friday’s semifinal round.
Either way, La Lumiere has a piece of the Classic title.
“It doesn’t matter to me. We’re the best in the country. I’m just proud we’re champs at the end of the day,” said 6-foot-9 Isaiah Stewart, who had 24 points and 13 rebounds in a towering performance.
He teamed with 6-8 Keion Brooks (18 points, eight boards) to protect the paint against a dangerous Oak Ridge squad.
Coach Patrick Holmes’ team had to adjust on the fly to counter Oak Ridge’s 6-8 senior, Christopher Walker. He finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
“He’s a big-time player. Very versatile. He can do a lot of things. We had to start switching,” Stewart said. “We really had to play defense.”
Walker rallied his team from a 22-14 deficit to tie the game with an 8-0 run, but LaLu went on a 17-4 tear to take command. Oak Ridge, which lost in the quarterfinal round, never got closer than 10 points the rest of the way. The Lakers’ tough man defense contained the Pioneers, who shot 6-for-27 from the arc, including 0-for-10 after halftime.
Gerald Drumgoole finished with 13 points and six boards, and he was part of the perimeter defense that froze the Pioneers. “There’s a lot of things we could’ve done better on defense, but overall, we knew we had to be the harder-playing team to win a championship,” said Drumgoole, a 6-5 guard. “We want to be No. 1. Best of luck to all the teams that were in this tournament, and best of luck to both teams that’s playing right now. If Sierra Canyon wins (against Montverde), congrats.” Kaleb Coleman added 17 points for Oak Ridge, but cooled off from deep with 3-for-13 shooting at the arc.
Montverde 57, Sierra Canyon 49
Moses Moody scored 16 points, including a crucial bucket down the stretch, as the Eagles outscored the Trailblazers 16-10 in the final six minutes.
Moody also had nine big rebounds. Precious Achiuwa added 10 points and Cade Cunningham had eight.
Sierra Canyon, which would have been co-champion with La Lumiere by beating Montverde, got 17 points from Cassius Stanley, 13 from Pippen, and 13 more from Martin.
