Cameron Boozer leads fourth-quarter comeback against Bronny James and Sierra Canyon
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts — Blake Arena was past capacity three hours prior to tipoff for one of the biggest high school games of the year featuring Bronny James and arguably the best player in high school basketball, sophomore Cameron Boozer And his twin brother. Cayden Boozer. The Hoophall Classic saw more than 2,000 people, including college coaches and NBA scouts, fill the small arena at Springfield College. They were there to see Sierra Canyon (California), take on Christopher Columbus(Florida). In thrilling end, the Christopher Columbus Explorers beat the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers by 47 to 46.
Cameron and Cayden were accompanied by Carlos Boozer, a former NBA player. He sat at baseline, taking in all the action, but was not with the children. Los Angeles Lakers Play the Houston Rockets Monday night at home LeBron James He was unable make it to the play to see Bronny and Bryce.
The first quarter was a battle between the two teams with 10 lead changes. It was also a one-point game going into the fourth quarter. Sierra Canyon led by eight points with three minutes left in the game. Cameron Boozer took a mission from the timeout and scored seven consecutive points in the last two minutes of the game to reduce the deficit to 1 point. Seven seconds remained before the explorers lost their lead after Sierra Canyon’s Isaiah Elohim failed to score the front end on a one-and-1. Cameron Boozer drove down the lane, and the ball was thrown from his hands. His teammate Malik Abdullahi picked up the ball for an easy layup just before the clock expired.
“I told [Cameron] Andrew Moran, Explorers head coach, said after the game that he had just been digging deep and that he had to fight to the end.” He made the play, even though he didn’t score the winning basket. Cameron and his brother remain calm, they don’t get rattled and Cameron, so young, continues being a leader and bringing our guys together throughout this game.
Cameron Boozer made a comeback after scoring 11 of his 18 first-half points. In addition to scoring 13 rebounds, four assists, and two steals, he also contributed to the win. Cayden Borozer was also a key player, scoring 11 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Elohim, a junior point guard, was the leader of Sierra Canyon, scoring 16 points.
Bronny James is continuing to have a strong senior year and had one his best games with 13 points (three 3-pointers), 8 rebounds, five steals and three assists in just 27 minutes.
Moran said that he really enjoys Bronny’s game. “I saw him play in Miami as a young man.” [when LeBron James was playing for the Heat] He has shown great growth as a player and I have seen him work hard. His shot is improved and he has good range. He’s a team player who plays basketball the right way.
The Boozer twins are just sophomores but they have already been offered a few scholarships, including Miami, Florida State and Arkansas. The pair is early favorites for Duke because their dad was a Duke player and they have close ties with the university.
Cameron Boozer, Yahoo Sports’s October report stated that Duke is a “great school” and has a long history of winning. “We had planned to visit Duke this fall but there was a conflict with our schedule. So we’ll wait and see what happens next season.”
Bronny James’ recruitment was kept private. He only made one known official trip to Ohio State in September. There are also schools like USC and Oregon that could be involved. Bronny James won’t make a decision until after the end of his high school season, or during April’s late signing period.
The Explorers will travel back to Miami to face Sacred Heart Griffin (Illinois), on January 21 at the Wally Keller Classic. Sierra Canyon (17-4 overall and 3-0 league) will be facing St. Francis on Wednesday night in Los Angeles.