CHATSWORTH — If it wasn’t obvious, the public address announcer at Sierra Canyon High in Chatsworth wasted no time reminding Golden Valley boys basketball just how tall of a task the host Trailblazers represented.
Introducing four of Sierra Canyon’s starters as headed for UCLA, San Diego State, Cornell and Arizona State, respectively, the PA guy injected a little creativity for the fifth starter.
And at forward: Marvin Bagley III, a player “headed anywhere he wants to go.”
ESPN’s No. 1 rated prospect in the Class of 2018 backed up the hype with an array of dunks, emphatic blocks and 26 points in a 101-42 win over Golden Valley in the Sierra Canyon Invitational on Tuesday night.
“He repped his name,” Grizzlies forward Richard Kawakami, who scored 12 points, said of Bagley. “He’s the real deal.”
Bagley — a 6-foot-11 forward with offers from Duke, Kentucky and UCLA, among a host of others — certainly went wherever he wanted Tuesday.
Boys basketball: Golden Valley warming up for road game versus Sierra Canyon & 1 of nation’s best, Marvin Bagley III pic.twitter.com/UNt7zrs70g
— Signal Sports (@SignalSports) December 7, 2016
He scored the first six points of the second quarter as part of a 14-0 Trailblazers run that he eventually capped with a reverse dunk.
Sierra Canyon (2-0) led 59-19 at half.
“Score not withstanding, I just wish we would have competed better,” said Grizzlies coach Larry Keys.
Golden Valley (1-2) held its own for the game’s first three minutes, scoring the contest’s first points on a Kawakami field goal and initially matching the Trailblazers’ physicality.
But Sierra Canyon’s Terrance McBride sent an alley-oop pass off the backboard for a dunk by 6-footer Remy Martin to make it 7-2 at the 5:37 mark, and Sierra Canyon led 18-2 before Golden Valley scored again.
MORE: 2016-17 Golden Valley boys hoops preview
The spring in the Grizzlies’ steps fizzled. Numerous turnovers began to fill the void.
“We looked at the scoreboard. We had our heads down,” Kawakami said. “You can’t mind the scoreboard. It’s a new play so it’s 0-0. You just have to play hard.”
At one point, Golden Valley played too hard, as a Grizzly reserve player was ejected after picking up his second technical foul in a second half where the Grizzlies fell behind 96-32 by the end of the third quarter.
“Once the score got out of hand, (my guys) weren’t able to realize there was still some equity in a game like this,” said Keys, who last year led the Grizzlies to their first playoff appearance since 2010.
Sierra Canyon advanced to the Southern Section Open Division final last year, falling to Chino Hills and current UCLA star Lonzo Ball.
Tuesday night, UCLA-bound, 6-9 forward Cody Riley had 12 points for the Trailblazers.
Cornell-bound McBride had 11 points.
Golden Valley’s Brandon Wilson had 16 points, but on 5-of-16 shooting.
