[ HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL ]
RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Oak Hill's Dayshawn Wright shot as Mt. Vernon's Jonathan Mitchell defended last night during the Iolani Classic final.
Oak Hill wins
Iolani ClassicTournament MVP Rajon Rondo
leads the way with a double-double
for the nation' No. 1 team
It was not what you expected in a contest between the No. 1 and No. 14 teams in the nation.
Top-ranked Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) dominated Mt. Vernon (N.Y.) from start to finish yesterday in the Iolani Classic final. Behind a double-double from tournament MVP Rajon Rondo (25 points, 10 assists), the Warriors routed the Knights 73-55.
All-Tournament Team
Tunji Sorye, Montrose; Dwayne Anderson, St. John's; Jason Rich, Dr. Phillips; Derrick Low, Iolani; Reginald Owens, Fairley; Joshua Shipp, Fairfax; Keith Benjamin, Mount Vernon; Sam Wilhoite, Kalaheo; K.C. Rivers, Oak Hill; Jamal Boykin, Fairfax; Dexter Grey, Mount Vernon; Dayshawn Wright, Oak HillMost Valuable Player: Rajon Rondo, Oak Hill
Most Outstanding Player: Josh Smith, Oak Hill
One Team Award: St. John's
The senior also added three steals and two blocks, and was the only Oak Hill player who shot well from the charity stripe, finishing 5-for-6.
"He's good with the ball; he makes good decisions," Oak Hill coach Steve Smith said of his point guard. "I thought he played extremely well. They put a lot of pressure on him, but he did a good job of keeping his head."
Rondo did just about everything for the Warriors (16-0). But it was Josh Smith who elicited the most oohs and aahs from the crowd at the Iolani Gym. Smith dazzled the crowd with dunk after dunk -- some on alley-oop passes and others on moves like the one that ended the game, a double-pump windmill.
"He's so quick, so athletic," coach Smith said of his player of the same name. "He gets open a lot. If he's not open, we just throw it up there."
Mt. Vernon coach Bob Cimmino repeatedly screamed for his players to stop Smith, but it was to no avail.
Keith Benjamin led the runner-up Knights with 19 points, but his efforts alone could not dig Mt. Vernon out of huge holes. Dexter Gray added 18 points for Mt. Vernon.
Oak Hill was overwhelmingly bigger and more athletic and it showed, though the Warriors might have gotten complacent after taking a 35-19 lead at the half.
Mt. Vernon opened the third quarter on a 11-4 run to trim Oak Hill's lead to single digits at 39-30. The burst got Oak Hill's attention as the Warriors settled down. K.C. Rivers drilled a 3-pointer with 3:35 left on the clock to put Oak Hill up 43-30.
Smith turned the Iolani Classic final into his own personal highlight reel. After winning the dunk contest earlier in the day, Smith put on another show in the second quarter. The 6-foot-8 senior forward scored 11 points in the period, eight of which came from thundering dunks over the Knights.
Smith, who has signed with Indiana but could enter the NBA Draft, was left alone under the basket with Rondo penetrating and slashing his way to the basket. Rondo scored 12 points and had four assists in the first half.
"We had a feeling we could come in and dominate the game because we have great players and great players off the bench," Rondo said.
The Knights never got close to the basket and were forced to attempt long-range jumpers that didn't drop. Mt. Vernon shot just 32 percent from the field. The Knights didn't help their own cause with 10 first half turnovers from sloppy ball-handling.
Note: Iolani alumnus Mike Fetters -- a 15-year veteran major league pitcher and assistant coach with tournament entrant Hamilton of Arizona -- presented the consolation and championship trophies.
