Varsity basketball showcases some of the most exciting games in the entire basketball calendar, and yesterday, Notre Dame and Sierra Canyon played a cracker of a game. Sierra Canyon staged an impressive comeback victory against Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, the top-ranked team in Southern California, in a game that rivaled the excitement of an NBA matchup. Down 17 points after the third quarter, Sierra Canyon implemented an aggressive full-court press, causing a series of turnovers that ultimately resulted in an 81-75 comeback triumph.

Justin Pippen, Scottie Pippen’s son, led the scoring for the Trailblazers by contributing 19 points. Isaiah Elohim and Bryce Cofield also made valuable contributions, scoring 18 and 14 points, respectively. Meanwhile, for Notre Dame, highly touted prospect Mercy Miller scored 28 points, with Lino Mark adding another 21 points to Notre Dame’s total.

Bryce James also made important contributions for the Trailblazers. Coming off the bench, Bryce scored 7 points, sinking two crucial three-pointers. His elder brother, Bronny, and younger sister, Zhuri, were in the stands to support him.

The Trailblazers’ incredible comeback victory over their arch-rival Notre Dame ensures that they will not face the latter and Harvard-Westlake until the league championship game next Friday, should they progress to that stage of the tournament. The Trailblazers’ win over Notre Dame gains even more importance when considering that Bryce James represented Notre Dame as recently as August 2023.

Why did Bryce return to Sierra Canyon?

The game between Sierra Canyon and Notre Dame held immense significance for Bryce, as he had enrolled into Notre Dame’s basketball program in August. However, stringent rules of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section deemed Bryce ineligible for transferring within Sierra Canyon’s conference. This meant that Bryce would have to sit out half a season at Notre Dame.

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Bryce made his second debut for the Trailblazers on 30th November and led them to a 62-point win over Moorpark High School. In an interview with Yahoo Sports, his teammate Justin Pippen said, “It’s really great to have Bryce back. He opens the floor up for better spacing and is an additional threat along the perimeter. He plays the right way, and we’re all really excited he’s back on the team.” With Bryce on the roster, the Trailblazers have lost just once this entire season. They currently lead their conference, with a record of 24 wins and 1 loss.

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