With LeBron James and Drake sitting courtside at
Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) Friday night, the lackluster California spring high school basketball season returned to Showtime. Unfortunately for the Trailblazers,
Centennial (Corona) spoiled this Hollywood scene with an 80-72 Southern Section Open Division championship victory.
Kylan Boswelll made six three-pointers on his way to 26 points as the second-seeded Huskies (21-2) ended top-seeded Sierra Canyon's perfect season and a 21-game playoff win streak that dated back to 2018.
Amari Bailey
was sensational in defeat with 33 points but it wasn't enough for the Trailblazers (15-1), who have a shot at redemption next week in the
Southern California regionals.
Centennial has opted out of regional play and saw its season come to an end Friday on a high note.
LeBron and his friends were on hand to watch his sophomore son
Bronny James return to play his first game after tearing a meniscus in February. He entered the game with 2 minutes, 12 seconds left in the first quarter and immediately stole the ball leading to a fastbreak hoop.
Centennial players celebrate their victory over host Sierra Canyon on Friday night in the Southern Section Open Division title game.
Photo by Louis Lopez
Bronny, ranked the 25th best sophomore in the country by 247Sports, also hit a key three-pointer with 4 minutes, 23 seconds left to cut Centennial's lead to 70-67. But it wasn't enough. The 6-3 shooting guard finished with seven points. Teammate
Shy Odom added 16 and
Ramel Lloyd Jr. chipped in 12.
As it's been all season for Sierra Canyon, UCLA-bound junior Bailey put on a show. The 6-foot-5 guard had 15 points by halftime including a rousing dunk that brought LeBron and Drake off their feet, according to reports.
But Centennial had too many weapons, led by Boswell, who is only a sophomore and has an offer from UCLA.
Donovan Dent also made big contributions — he had 15 points at halftime when the score was knotted at 39-39. Dent finished with 19,
Jared McCain added 16 and another sophomore, 6-6
Aaron McBride (13 points, eight rebounds) was another big force down low for the Huskies, who took a 63-58 lead heading to the fourth.
LeBron James and Drake enjoyed the game from courtside seats.
Photo by Louis Lopez
Sierra Canyon, which had won two straight California Interscholastic Federation Open Division championships before the
pandemic ended its 2019-20 season one game short of a possible third consecutive crown, hadn't lost a playoff game for almost three seasons. Considering the Trailblazer play in the rugged and deep region of Southern California, that's quite a streak.
The Trailblazers maintained an unbeaten record this season despite numerous
other setbacks besides Bronny's knee injury. Four-star
guard
Chance Westry,
a Pennsylvania native who returned home earlier this month due to
personal reasons. The No. 34 overall prospect from the Class of 2022, Westry
averaged 14.2 points per outing in five appearances this season.
Max Allen, a 6-foot-8 post player, left the team before the regular season officially got underway April 22 and 7-foot-3 center
Harold Yu, who lives in China, also did not join the team.
But Sierra Canyon can make up for Friday's defeat by winning the regional next week. Torrey Pines (28-0), out of the San Diego Section, entered the week ranked second in the state behind Sierra Canyon, while Centennial was third. The Huskies opted out to give many of their players more college looks at a showcase in Las Vegas. Friday was their state championship and 2021 finale. The moment was not too big. Even with LeBron and Drake in the house.
"We've been playing in front of cameras all year," Boswell told the
Los Angeles Daily News. "It was nothing new to us. We stayed locked in."
Bronny James came off the bench Friday, his first action of the season for Sierra Canyon after injuring his knee in February.
Photo by Louis Lopez
Aaron McBride with a first-half dunk for Centennial.
Photo by Louis Lopez
Centennial, 2021 CIF Southern Section Open Division champions
Photo by Louis Lopez
