PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – This could be the start of something very special for
Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.).
The Trailblazers and their starting lineup comprised of four sophomores and a junior – not to mention a sharpshooting freshman sixth man – dominated the final 12 minutes of Monday’s MaxPreps Holiday Classic semifinal against
Etiwanda (Calif.), running away for a 72-53 victory.
Cody Riley, Sierra Canyon
Photo by David Hood
Sierra Canyon (7-1) will meet another impressive Monday night winner in the championship game.
Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.) handled storied
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) in the second semifinal but had to withstand a furious late rally for an 82-79 triumph.
See storyTuesday’s championship game is scheduled for 8:40 p.m. at Rancho Mirage High School.
Sierra Canyon – ranked No. 21 nationally by MaxPreps after beginning the season at No. 5 – got big production from its big three of
Remy Martin,
Devearl Ramsey and
Cody Riley, but head coach Tyrone Nichols was eager to point out the efforts of another less-heralded sophomore after the contest.
“The unsung hero of the game is
Adam Seiko. The defensive job he did on
Kameron Edwards, who is going to Pepperdine and a big time player, that really took the other team out of what they wanted to do. There are a lot of guys to sing praises about but Adam Seiko is a defensive monster,” Nichols said.
Edwards finished with 12 points for Etiwanda (9-3), but was limited to just four in the second half. Seiko also scored eight points and dished out five assists.
Riley, Sierra Canyon’s 6-foot-8, 240-pound sophomore manchild, tallied a game high 18 points to go along with eight boards. Martin added 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists while Ramsey tacked on 15 points.
Then there was freshman
Michael Feinberg, who came off the bench to score 12 points – including a couple of daggers from beyond the arc late in the game.
“For a freshman to step on that stage and hit those kinds of shots, it’s a gift,” Nichols said.
Remy Martin, Sierra Canyon
Photo by David Hood
As commanding as the late surge was for the Trailblazers, Etiwanda looked to be taking control midway through the third quarter. The Eagles fell behind by as many as six in the first half but fought back to take a 40-37 lead.
That’s when Sierra Canyon erupted, going on a highlight-filled 15-1 run capped by a Martin putback slam. The explosive 5-10 sophomore received a technical after hanging on the rim a little too long.
“When you make that kind of play as a sophomore at 5-10, you can get a little excited,” Nichols said. “I don’t want robots. I want kids who play with passion and energy. I don’t mind positive enthusiasm and I didn’t feel like it was taunting.”
Fellow sophomore Riley was also willing to overlook Martin’s mental error.
“I definitely give him a pass on his first tip dunk. He’s a rookie at that stuff, he didn’t know what to do,” Riley joked in the aftermath.
Without the services of injured 6-8 sophomore
Ira Lee (who is expected to miss the remainder of the season), Sierra Canyon has largely survived a grueling early schedule that included a trip to the City of Palms Classic in Florida.
“It’s thrilling to be going into the final tomorrow night,” Nichols said. “There is no way if you told me two days after Ira Lee went down that we would be 7-1 and going into the MaxPreps final, no way.”
Etiwanda, who received a team high 16 points from
Garrett Carter, will face Mater Dei in the third place game Tuesday at 7 p.m.
More Monday stars at Rancho MirageChance Comanche, Beverly Hills (Calif.): The Arizona-bound forward registered 14 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots as Beverly Hills outlasted Cathedral Catholic 49-48.
Roberto Gittens, Foss (Tacoma, Wash.): Emerging wing prospect with an early offer from the University of Washington, the 6-foot-5 sophomore pumped in 24 points to go along with eight rebounds and three assists in an 84-51 win over La Quinta (Calif.).
Miye Oni, Viewpoint (Calabasas, Calif.): Division III Williams College in Massachusetts may have landed the steal of the 2015 class in One. The athletic 6-6 wing piled up 26 points and six rebounds in a 66-46 Viewpoint win over Mission Viejo.
A number of big time college coaches were on hand Monday night at Rancho Mirage High School, including Steve Fisher of San Diego State (far left) and Lorenzo Romar of Washington (third from left).
Photo by David Hood
