Many were concerned about Sierra Canyon’s performance plummeting after Bronny James (USC) and Ashton Hardaway (Memphis) graduated. However, up-and-coming stars like Justin Pippen and Bryce James have taken over the reins to steer Sierra Canyon to new heights. More proof of this came during their recent victory against the defending CIF State Open Division champions, Harvard-Westlake. With this victory, the Trailblazers have now extended their winning streak to 16 games and are undefeated (5-0) in the Mission League.
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Notably, it was Scottie Pippen‘s son, Justin, whose fiery second half propelled the team towards a 74-68 win on Friday night in a Mission League boys basketball showdown. Despite Bryce James being absent from the match against California’s top-ranked team, LeBron James took to Instagram to celebrate Justin’s remarkable achievement. He shared a post that highlighted Justin’s impressive 24-point performance.
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Despite trailing by 8 points in the fourth quarter, the Trailblazers staged a massive turnaround, courtesy of Justin Pippen and Bryce Cofield. After registering only three points in the first half, Pippen put on a scoring clinic in the second half, exploding for 21 of his 24 total points in the final 16 minutes. Notably, it was his six total 3-pointers that sealed the deal for the team. Bryce Cofield did his part to assist Pippen on the offensive end in the final stretch, notching a total of 15 points, with 10 of them coming in the fourth quarter. He also secured a couple of offensive rebounds and executed key put-backs, contributing significantly to Sierra Canyon’s lead.
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As a result, the Wolverines dropped their second consecutive game after Notre Dame routed them last Wednesday. Now, the Trailblazers will go against Bryce’s former high school, Notre Dame (5-0), in the league finale on Friday, Jan. 26.
The James-Pippen duo we never got
Unfortunately, the fans never had the opportunity to see LeBron James and Scottie Pippen share the court. LeBron’s first season in the league happened to be Pippen’s last one. During the 2003–04 NBA season, Pippen played 23 games with the Chicago Bulls, but none of them was against the Cleveland Cavaliers. While the fans were devoid of the opportunity to see two of the best point-forwards battle it out, they could find some solace in watching their sons ball together on the court.
Even though Bryce did not suit up for the team’s recent victory, he has been a key contributor off the bench, with remarkable averages of 7.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. This is a huge improvement from his sophomore-year average of 3.8 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.4 assists across 12 games last season. Meanwhile, Justin, who has been one of the major reasons for the Trailblazers’ success this season, is mustering up strong averages of 18.1 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game. Again, a marked improvement from his last season averages of 4.5 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 24 games.
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Ruth John