Judging by the route to the finals, fourth-ranked
Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) appeared a heavy favorite. But No. 22
St. Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) initially slowed the Trailblazers, then sped right by them late in a 72-65 victory in the finals of the 37th Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Mo.
Deshawn Harris-Smith, who made two free throws in the final 10 seconds to pull out a semifinal overtime victory, had a game-high 23 points while making 13-for-16 free throws as the Panthers (11-2) outscored Sierra Canyon 34-9 at the line to help avenge a championship game loss to the Trailblazers in the 'Iolani Classic last month.
Knasir "Dug" McDaniel added 18 points, and sophomore
Darren Harris contributed 11, including an 8-for-8 performance from the line as the Panthers won their second Bass Pro title and first since 2013.
UCLA-bound
Amari Bailey, who just returned from an ankle injury, led Sierra Canyon (16-2) with 18 points,
Bronny James, the four-star junior and son of LeBron James, scored all of his 13 points in the second half and
Mike Price added 11.
"I've shot a million free throws in my life so I just tried to stay calm and knock them down," Harris-Smith told an ESPN+ audience.
While St. Paul VI needed two late free throws by Harris-Smith to
defeat Milton 55-54 in overtime in the semifinals, the Trailblazers
breezed to the finals with a 81-49 win over Whitney Young as Bailey had
20 points and 10 rebounds and
Ramel Lloyd Jr. added 14. St. Paul also had a
tough time in a 60-55 first-round win over Springfield Catholic, while
again, Sierra Canyon breezed 63-46 over Parkview.
This was rematch of two previous showcase games split between the two squads.
St.
Paul VI won a 2020 Hoophall Classic game 70-62 before the Trailblazers
evened the score Dec. 22 with a 52-49 victory in the finals of the
'Iolani Classic in Honolulu. In the latter game, playing without Bailey , tournament MVP Lloyd had 20 points and five assists.
With Bailey, ranked the No. 4 senior in the country, Sierra Canyon seemed to have a big advantage. But Panthers' coach Glenn Farello did a superb job instilling confidence in his squad and the zone defense to slow down the Trailblazers.
While the 'Iolani game sizzled from the outset, this one was sort of a dud. Maybe it was the late start.
St. Paul's 3-2 zone gave Sierra Canyon fits as it made just nine of its first 30 shots while the Panthers took a 29-22 lead. It was just 9-7 after the first quarter, but behind a combined 17 points from Harris-Smith and McDaniel and a 15-for-17 performance at the line, the Panthers took control in the second quarter.
Meanwhile Bailey, who had 36 in the first two games, got off just seven shots in the first half. He opened the game with a 3-pointer and made a spectacular fastbreak dunk to give the Trailblazers a spark. But ultimately a pair of buckets each off the bench by Price and
Isaiah Elohim helped Sierra Canyon stay close.
With one play, James and the Trailblazers seemed to turn the tide and take control early in the third quarter. The 6-3 junior stole a pass near half court and went in for a jam — his first points of the night — to lead a 7-0 run and get the Sierra Canyon within 30-29. James had an assist in the run, then got a rebound on the defensive end, went coast-to-coast for a hanging layup to tie the game at 31-31.
Bronny James, Sierra Canyon
File photo by Louis Lopez
The Trailblazers eventually took a one-point lead, but instead of wilting, the Panthers responded, getting also a big game from
Ben Hammond (10 points). The Trailblazers had several chances to take the lead in the fourth, but St. Paul VI, despite the late hour (the game started at 9:15 p.m. local time), made the big plays down the stretch to pull it out. The Panthers' last 17 points were made from the line.
For the game, St. Paul took 25 less shots, making 18 of 39 from the floor (46 percent) to 37.5 percent for the Trailblazers (24 of 64). James led Sierra Canyon with six rebounds and three assists. St. Paul VI 6-9 freshman center
Christian Gurdak had seven rebounds.
COVID-19 scares or protocols didn't hurt the 37th annual event in Springfield as there were record crowds for Thursday (7,886) and Friday (9,263).
