IOLANI CLASSIC
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Rice's Durand Scott led the Raiders over Mount Vernon at the Iolani Classic last night.
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Rice continues reign
For now, the throne of New York City prep basketball belongs to the Rice Raiders.
Five thousand miles from home, Chris Fouch scored 14 of his game-high 29 points in the first quarter as Rice trounced arch rival Mount Vernon 75-51 in an Iolani Classic matchup of Big Apple basketball elite last night.
All-Tournament
Red Division, Most Outstanding Player: Kevin Jones, Mount Vernon
Red Division, Most Valuable Player: Kemba Walker, Rice
White Division, Most Outstanding Player: Demarcus Cousins, LeFlore
White Division, Most Valuable Player: Nick Williams, LeFlore
All-Tournament
» Durand Scott, Rice
» Oscar Bellfield, Westchester
» Pablo Warner, Iolani
» Chris Fouch, Rice
» Xiangyang Zhan, Ji Lin
» Darius Miller, Mason County
» Marcus Holyfield, Mid-Pacific
» Isaiah Armwood, Montrose
» Dwayne Polee, Westchester
» Cole Shidaki, Saint Louis
» Qinpen Wang, Ji Lin
» Sherrod Wright, Mount Vernon
» Terrell Vinson, Montrose Christian
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Fouch, a 6-foot-1 guard, hit his first six shots. Durand Scott added 15 points and Kemba Walker tallied 14 points and six assists for Rice (7-0), the defending New York State Catholic League champion.
The game was a rematch of last season's New York Catholic final won by the Raiders. Rice entered the Classic ranked No. 10 in the USA Today Super 25. Rice, which also won its four games, was named champion of the Red Division.
Mount Vernon, ranked No. 15, was led by junior guard Sherrod Wright's 19 points. Kevin Jones added 14 points and six boards, but went scoreless in the third quarter as Rice took control.
After Jordan Lessane drove for a three-point play to bring the Knights within 33-30, Rice went on a 22-5 blitz. Dorvell Carter scored all eight of his points in the third as the Raiders ran away.
"We stress our defense a lot. Defense has to be there," Rice coach Maurice Hicks said. "First half, they hurt us, so we got more aggressive, started bumping more. Our guards got more intensity."
Neither Hicks nor Mount Vernon coach Bob Cimmino emptied their benches, not even in the final minutes.
"It's a great win for us. Our players were up for it," Hicks said.
The Raiders are kings for now, but were worried before the game that the matchup might not go down. Earlier in the day, players heard rumors that a potential switcheroo would have Rice meeting powerhouse LeFlore (Ala.) instead of Mount Vernon.
"I told them not to worry about it," said Hicks, who was not asked about any possible change by tournament officials.
LeFlore (Ala.) 48, Montrose Christian (Md.) 39
Nick Williams scored 15 points and Demarcus Cousins added 12 as the Rattlers finished the tourney unbeaten. LeFlore won all four of its games and was named White Division tournament champion.
Terrell Vinson had 12 points and Kevon Moore added 10 for Montrose, which is ranked No 6 in the nation.
LeFlore, ranked No. 14 in the USA Today Super 25, improved to 14-0 overall.
Mason County (Ky.) 55, Iolani 41
The battle between Kentucky's top-ranked team and Hawaii's No. 2 squad went to the Bluegrass State hoopsters down the stretch. Darius Miller had 22 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals to lead the Royals (8-1).
Russ Middleton added 13 points for Mason, which shot just 42 percent from the field. Trevor Setty added 12 points.
Taylor Mounts led Iolani (4-4) with 11 points and 12 rebounds. The Raiders mixed zone and man defenses to stay with the Royals early on. The Kentucky-bound Miller scored six points in the second quarter to spark his cold-shooting teammates.
Mid-Pacific 45, Ji Lin (China) 43
Marcus Holyfield's tip-in with 3 seconds left lifted the Owls over the Dragons.
Holyfield's hustle play came moments after Ji Lin's Tianwei Han drained a 3-pointer to tie the game with 8 seconds left. The Owls raced upcourt and Devon Takanaka missed on a baseline drive. Holyfield came to the rescue and tipped the miss off the glass. Ji Lin got the ball upcourt, but didn't get a shot off before the buzzer.
The Owls went 3-1 in the tournament, upsetting No. 3 Kalaheo and No. 7 Moanalua.
No. 7 Moanalua 47, Leilehua 43
Center Maurice Allen, Josh Kure and Marcus Monroe scored eight points each for Na Menehune (8-6). Kolwin Dixon led the Mules with 13 points and Bryann Hollis added 10.
Westchester (Calif.) 44, Arlington Country Day (Fla.) 25
Jordin Mayes scored 10 points as the Comets overwhelmed the Apaches. R.J. Wright led ACD with 12 points. The Apaches shot just 7-for-20 from the foul line.
No. 10 Baldwin 57, Roosevelt 47
Center Viliami Lavaka scored 20 points and point guard Lincoln Seto added 13, including going 11-for-12 at the foul line, for the Bears (5-6). Matthew Kualii Moe had 15 points and Lowen Kahooilihala scored 10 for the Rough Riders.
No. 6 Saint Louis 47, No. 3 Kalaheo 36
Junior guard Cole Shidaki's 18 points led the Crusaders (2-2). Cheynne Lishman tallied 14 points for the Mustangs (7-3).