Carter Bryant stars in Sage Hill win over Whittier in CIF opener
Following an undefeated run through the Pacific Coast League, the Sage Hill School boys’ basketball team is riding a high it hopes not to come down from.
Carter Bryant flew high for several dunks in leading the Lightning to a 59-37 win over Whittier in a CIF Southern Section Division 4A playoff opener on Wednesday at Ueberroth Gymnasium.
The junior, 6-foot-8 wing poured in 29 points to go with 17 rebounds, five blocked shots, three steals and three assists. Then a surprise punctuated a night to celebrate for Bryant.
Sage Hill athletic director Megan Cid walked to center court postgame and announced to the crowd that Bryant had been invited to participate in a junior national team minicamp in Houston on Final Four weekend.
“It was a surprise,” Bryant said. “It’s definitely a blessing. This is something I’ve wanted to work towards my whole life, and for me to have the opportunity now, I’m just going to work even harder to give myself the best opportunity to make that roster and compete for our country.”
Bryant sprung skyward with ease in the playoff opener, entertaining with four second-half dunks and a chase-down block that he pinned off the glass. The highlight was an alley-oop reverse jam, with the pass coming from Shaan Patel.
“I would say it’s definitely a top-five play for me,” Bryant said. “It was a natural reaction. It was a great lob. I had to go up and finish it.”
Sage Hill (11-11), which plays at Encino Holy Martyrs (15-14) in the second round on Friday, never trailed in its playoff opener. If there was a nervous moment for the Lightning, it came early in the contest. Whittier (17-15) took two charges in the first minute — including one on Bryant — leading to a full timeout for the home side.
Lightning head coach D’Cean Bryant said the atmosphere inside the huddle was one of a “stare down,” as he challenged his players to make the adjustment.
“Coach told us to play off two feet,” Sage Hill junior center Johnny Mayhew said. “Just go around them and make the extra pass to the guy who is open instead of [running] into them because they’re going to hope for the charge every time.”
Mayhew had 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks for Sage Hill. Gage Talleur added eight points, including a coast-to-coast bucket when he gathered the rebound after blocking a jump shot.
Ryan Katkin had four points, six rebounds and two blocks, and Andrew Cobb and Patel each had two points and four assists.
Brandon Romo had 13 points and nine rebounds to lead Whittier. Andrew Delgado added 12 points.
Sage Hill has won seven consecutive games, a run that has seen the Lightning traverse a challenging league slate. All seven league victories came by single digits. After a slow start in nonleague play, Sage Hill is enjoying its best stretch of the season.
“I wanted to throw them in cold water and get that instant shock from them,” D’Cean Bryant said. “Early on, we weren’t worried about winning games. We had some games — like against Rancho [Cucamonga], they were Division 3AA champs. They had us down by like 30, and we brought it within one.
“At that point, they were like, ‘Wait a minute. We kind of belong here.’ … We went to the Damien tournament, we lost some close ones, and I think we learned some valuable lessons.”
CIF Southern Section Division 4A
Sage Hill 59, Whittier 37
Whittier 7 – 11 – 12 – 7 – 37
Sage Hill 15 – 12 – 18 – 14 – 59
W – Romo 13, Delgado 12, Caro 5, Gonzales 3, Sanchez 2, Velasquez 2.
3-pt. goals – Delgado 2, Gonzales 1.
Fouled out – None.
Technicals – None.
SH – Bryant 29, Mayhew 12, Talleur 8, Katkin 4, J. Karahalios 2, Patel 2, Cobb 2.
3-pt. goals – None.
Fouled out – J. Karahalios.
Technicals – None.
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