High School Sports

Ramel Lloyd Jr. scored 20 points and Bronny James added nine as No. 3 Sierra Canyon beat No. 20 St. Paul VI 52-49 in the 'Iolani Classic boys high school basketball finals from Honolulu on Wednesday.

James, a junior, had a good all-around game. He was active on the glass and played tough defense, which included drawing a key late charge in the nationally televised contest on NBCSN.

On the other end, James had four points in the first half and five in the final two quarters in a tight defensive contest.

He also did a good job facilitating the Blazers offense against a tight St. Paul zone that forced Sierra Canyon to hit its outside shots. James finished with four assists.

The first quarter was all St. Paul VI, which got 12 of its 13 points from point guard and Michigan commit Dug McDaniel. The future Wolverine finished the night with 17, and the Panthers led 13-8 after one.

The son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James hit a pair of free throws to give Sierra Canyon a 22-21 lead right before halftime, but St. Paul VI responded with a bucket before intermission to take a 23-22 advantage going into the third quarter.

The Blazers got hot against the St. Paul VI zone in the third, as the Nebraska-bound Lloyd and Mikey Price both made their buckets. Price hit a pair of threes to turn a 35-30 deficit into a 36-35 lead, with James assisting on one of those buckets.

This one was close down the stretch, with James coming through in the clutch.

He hit a layup to give Sierra Canyon a 46-43 lead. James later grabbed a defensive rebound and went coast-to-coast for a layup attempt. The shot was no good, but he drew the foul and made 1-of-2 from the free-throw line.

St. Paul VI responded with two straight buckets and got the ball back with a chance to tie or take the lead, but James drew a big charge on the baseline to give the ball back to Sierra Canyon.

That proved to be a huge play, as Lloyd made a three on the other end to give the Blazers enough breathing room with a 52-47 lead.

However, St. Paul VI persevered and eventually found itself down 52-49 with the ball in the closing seconds.

McDaniel took a long three that was no good, but an offensive rebound plus a kick-out led to the St. Paul VI star getting another look from beyond the arc. The second attempt went around the rim, and that was the ballgame.

With that, the 7-1 Panthers dropped their first game of the year.

Lloyd won the honors at the end of the game as the tournament's top player.

Sierra Canyon is now 13-1 on the season. The Blazers will play Venice (California) High School next Wednesday.

Robbie Roper, a quarterback at Roswell High School in Georgia, died Wednesday from complications following shoulder surgery in Florida. He was 18.

Cal Callaway of Fox 5 Atlanta reported details of the high school senior's death. His family posted a statement on Twitter:

Roper received scholarship offers from Massachusetts, Morehead State, Morgan State and Western Carolina, per 247Sports. He'd also attracted interest from several high-profile college football programs, including Alabama, Florida, Florida State and Georgia.

The quarterback tallied 42 total touchdowns (37 passing and five rushing) during Roswell's 2021 season. He guided the Hornets to a 10-3 record as they advanced to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs. They finished 18th in MaxPreps' final rankings for Georgia.

Steven Craft, the athletic director for Fulton County Schools, posted a message of condolence on Twitter:

Roper had just spoken with Zach Goodall of All Gators on Sunday, saying his recruitment was starting to take off following his standout senior campaign.

"It's definitely been crazy. I mean the first game of the season, I think I put up 450 [yards] passing and about 70 on the ground, so I knew what season it could end up being," he said. "Lately it's just been crazy. I know it's a little late in the game, but there's still a lot of schools that have been very interested, and Florida has definitely been one of them."

Roswell's athletic department posted a statement on social media: "Heartbreaking news. Robbie was an incredible young man and made a huge impact on his teammates, classmates, and the community. #5 will never be forgotten."

Chris Prewett, the school's head football coach also shared his thoughts about Roper: "Heartbroken is a gross understatement. Robbie was a fantastic young man and a fighter all the way thru!! You will be missed in so many ways!! Prayers to this grieving family and our community."

His sister Breanna, a member of the Ole Miss softball team, coined the slogan "Live Like 5:"

No further information about the medical complications following his surgery has been made public.

There have been times in LeBron James' legendary career when he needed his teammates to pick up the slack to earn a victory.

Tuesday brought one of those games for his son, Bronny.

Bronny James and the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers improved to 12-1 on the season with a narrow 51-48 win over Pembroke Pines in Tuesday's semifinals of the 'Iolani Classic in Hawai'i. James scored just one point, but Ramel Lloyd Jr. led the way with 23 in an impressive effort.

He also turned in the biggest highlight of the game with a key dunk:

Mike Price provided the secondary scoring with 12 points.

High school quarterback Jaden Rashada, a 4-star prospect out of Pittsburg, California, has signed a four-figure endorsement deal with recruiting app AIR (Athletes in Recruitment), per ESPN's Dan Murphy.

Rashada will be promoting the app on social media, and he "is believed to be the first high school football player to profit from endorsements" since the NCAA changed its NIL rules over the summer, Murphy added. Prior to the rule change, high school players who were paid for endorsements were ineligible to compete in the NCAA.

James Sackville, a former punter at SMU and founder of the AIR app, told Murphy the program was "designed to help college coaches, high school athletes and their advisers simplify the process and find good matches" during recruitment.

"There's no better person to talk about recruiting than someone who has recently gone through the process or is currently going through the process," Sackville said. "It's been a resounding success so far, and after talking with Jaden it was a literal no-brainer to work with him."

Rashada also told Murphy he is excited to promote the AIR app and hopes his new endorsement deal is the first of many for high school athletes. 

"It feels pretty good," Rashada said. "Maybe it can open up more opportunities for others and people can be more aware of it. It's a blessing to be able to make some money and promote a good brand."

Rashada is also partnering with Safeway grocery stores to provide gift cards to help homeless people in Northern California, per Murphy. 

The 6'4", 179-pound quarterback told Murphy he plans to narrow down his list of potential colleges over the next couple of months. According to 247Sports, he has received offers from Arizona State, Auburn, Oklahoma, Penn State, UCLA, Oregon and more. 

Rashada is the No. 5 quarterback in the 2023 class, per 247Sports. Arch Manning, Malachi Nelson, Dante Moore and Nicholas Iamaleava are ranked above him. Rashada is also the fifth-ranked prospect out of California and is ranked 41st nationally.  

Bronny James and Sierra Canyon continued to cruise in the 'Iolani Classic with a 66-49 win over hosts 'Iolani.

James, the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, scored only four points, but he still showcased his skill set as a passer and finisher around the rim.

His strength allowed the guard to finish through contact (0:48):

It's part of the reason the 4-star player is considered the No. 38 prospect in the 2023 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. 

Foul trouble was still an issue for James, forcing Ramel Lloyd (20 points) and Kijani Wright (14 points) to step up for Sierra Canyon.

'Iolani surprisingly kept pace with the California powerhouse in the first half, earning a 31-29 halftime lead. Freshman JJ Mandaquit scored 18 points to lead the Hawaiian squad.

Sierra Canyon was simply too much to overcome while pulling away in the third and fourth quarters.

The path to a championship will continue on Tuesday in the 'Iolani Classic semifinals against Pembroke Pines (Florida).

An investigation by the Ohio Department of Education determined that "Bishop Sycamore [High School] is not a school as it purports on paper to be," per Tom Schad of USA Today.

Bishop Sycamore gained national headlines in August when the football team suffered a 58-0 blowout loss to IMG Academy on ESPN. The network later said it was a mistake to put the team on television after the program lied about its quality, allegedly saying it had multiple Division I prospects. 

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine took notice, asking the department of education to investigate whether the school meets minimum standards to operate. 

The investigation not only determined it is not a school, but also recommended "potential legal action" against Bishop Sycamore through the Attorney General's office, per Schad.

Bishop Sycamore fired head coach Roy Johnson after the loss to IMG. Beyond the results on the field, the squad played two games in three days and the coach reportedly did a poor job of tracking player injuries. The ESPN appearance also raised questions about the school, its administrators and its curriculum.

After the increased scrutiny, school founder and director Andre Peterson defended it, telling WKYC the school had 60 students and was "mostly online."

However, after Tyren Jackson took over as head coach, he clarified the program's standing.

"We do not offer curriculum," he told Jamie Ostroff of NBC4. "We are not a school. That’s not what Bishop Sycamore is, and I think that’s what the biggest misconception about us was, and that was our fault. Because that was a mistake on paperwork."

Per WKYC's Ben Axelrod, the state's investigation found "no evidence that Bishop Sycamore High School actually enrolled students or had a physical location." 

In September, production company SMAC Entertainment acquired the exclusive rights to Johnson's story and will produce a documentary on the Bishop Sycamore saga.   

Owsley County (Kentucky) sheriff Brent Lynch was arrested on suspicion of assault on Thursday after allegedly striking a player at a girls basketball game. 

Per TMZ Sports, Lynch, who coaches a girls basketball team in Owsley County, is accused of hitting a girl in the face after running onto the court during a game on Dec. 3 in Perry County, Kentucky, when both teams got into a physical altercation. 

A video included in TMZ's report showed the skirmish began when two players went to the floor attempting to take possession of a loose ball. Lynch is among several adults who intervened, running in from the other end of the court, but it's unclear from the footage what happened when he got into the swarm of bodies. 

According to TMZ, Lynch was formally charged with fourth-degree assault and faces up to one year in jail and a fine if he is convicted. 

Jonathan Jett, Perry County Schools superintendent, issued a statement to NBC 10 News in Lexington about the situation:

On Friday, December 3, 2021 there was an altercation between the Perry Central Lady Commodores and the Owsley County Lady Owls basketball teams. The teams were separated immediately and one player from each team was ejected from the contest by the KHSAA basketball officials working the game. It is my understanding that there has since been an investigation opened by the Kentucky State Police related to the incident. Out of respect for the Kentucky State Police and their investigation, I have no further comment at this time.

Dr. Tim Bobrowski, Owsley County School District superintendent, told NBC 10 that Lynch has been suspended for one game amid the investigation and they are "fully complying" with recommendations by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association. 

The Owsley County sheriff's department arrested Lynch on Thursday. TMZ noted he is currently in Three Forks Regional Jail. 

Carlisle High School basketball player Carter Prenosil was arrested Wednesday in Iowa and charged with a felony count of willful injury—causing serious injury after allegedly punching an opponent from Nevada High School during the postgame handshake line Tuesday night.

TMZ Sports reported Thursday that Prenosil's first court date in the case is scheduled for Dec. 13. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted.

Court documents state Prenosil threw an "unwarranted punch" toward the Nevada player, Ty Dittmer, who suffered a concussion and required four stitches because of a cut on his mouth, per TMZ.

Carlisle student JayJay Noring, who attended the game, told KCCI the players had "traded insults" during the contest.

"He said something during the game that Carter didn't like so at the end, Carter went up and finished it. Which was a little way too beyond if you ask me. He didn't have to go that far," Noring said.

The superintendents from both school districts released statements to KCCI.

"This is without question an unfortunate incident that is not representative of the school culture that exists in Carlisle Community School District," Carlisle's Bryce Amos said. "I want to make it clear that this type of conduct is not tolerated at Carlisle CSD."

Nevada's Dr. Steve Gray added: "It was a very unfortunate and disturbing situation. Fortunately, it sounds like our student-athlete is going to be alright. I'm very appreciative of the response of our coaches and players, as well as the Carlisle administration, for quickly de-escalating the situation."

The Iowa High School Athletic Association is also investigating the matter.

Both teams are still tentatively scheduled to continue their 2021-22 seasons Friday night. Carlisle is set to visit North Polk High School, while Nevada is slated for a road game against PCM High School.

A high school basketball player in Iowa is under investigation after he punched an opposing player during the postgame handshake line.

Video shows a player rearing back and punching the opposing player in the stomach and then the face. The player who was punched staggers to the ground, while the one who did the punching is wrestled down by another member of the opposing team (warning: video contains violent content):

TMZ Sports noted the player who threw the punches plays for Carlisle High School, which lost by 25 points to Nevada High School in Tuesday's game.

"It's a very unfortunate situation," Nevada superintendent Dr. Steve Gray said, per TMZ Sports. "I'm happy they deescalated it. I thought our coaches and staff handled it well and got everyone out of there without it worsening."

Gray also said the player who was punched is feeling okay.

The Carlisle Police Department said it is investigating the situation. The player who threw the punch has not been arrested.        

A change.org petition is looking to change the name of the football stadium at Oxford High School after Tate Myre, one of the students killed in Tuesday's school shooting, per Jared Purcell of MLive.com.

Four students have died after a 15-year-old boy allegedly shot at least 11 people at the Oxford, Michigan school on Tuesday, per CNN.

Oxford Football wrote about Myre, who was a member of the team, on Twitter:

The petition said Myre was "killed in an attempt to disarm the shooter," and he "put his life in danger to try and help the thousands of other students."

Myre was a running back and linebacker on the football team in the class of 2023. He had posted on his own account about a recruiting trip to Toledo over the weekend. 

The football venue is currently named Wildcat Stadium after the school's mascot.