Everything about the Redondo vs. Bishop Montgomery boys basketball matchup was impressive – except the game itself, which quickly turned into a 71-58 rout by the Knights.
It was a shocking result because they’re the two best teams in the South Bay. They have the two best players in the Hawks’ Billy Preston and the Knights’ Stephen Thompson Jr. They were playing at a futuristic, state-of-the-art venue – the Jordan Hanger in Playa Del Rey – as part of the second annual Take Flight Challenge, a two-day event which draws top talent from all over California. And they were playing in front of a packed house with ear splitting electronic dance music drowning out everything except the crowd’s growing sense of anticipation. For a full ten minutes before the tip-off the PA announcer kept screaming over the music “It’s about to go down.”
And when the game finally started a half hour late Redondo’s 6-foot-9 Preston nailed a 10-foot baseline jumper to start the scoring and give Redondo its only lead of the game, followed by a dribble-drive by the 6-foot-4 Thompson that evened the score at 2-2. But from there Bishop Montgomery raced out to a 12-2 lead, and only a fearless drive into the tall trees by 5-foot-2 Elijah Nesbitt gave Redondo one more bucket before the quarter mercifully ended with Bishop up by 16-4.
But it wasn’t so much the quick 12-point lead that was discouraging for Sea Hawk fans as the way it went down. Preston started the game continually trying to power his way to the hoop but quickly had his shot blocked three times by the much smaller Knights. After that he spent most of the time hanging around the perimeter, before finally attacking the rim again in the fourth quarter. He finished with 19 points and 7 boards, but most of his damage was done after the game was already decided.
Meanwhile, Thompson, the son of the former Syracuse star who is bound for Oregon State next year, displayed a clever handle, a smooth shot and game-breaking quickness on his way to 26 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds. More important, he used his teammates effectively, setting them up for wide open shots by drawing defensive attention and then throwing smart passes. His kid brother, sophomore Ethan Thompson, and forward Jordan Shakel were the primary beneficiaries, as the younger Thompson finished with 12 points, 4 boards and 3 blocks while Shakel contributed 17 points, 2 boards and 2 assists.
Preston, on the other hand, frequently looked befuddled and frustrated after realizing he couldn’t simply over-power the Knights. The mini-comeback the Hawks launched in the fourth quarter was led by 6-foot-2 guard Leland Green, who started attacking the basket and finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists. Nesbit and shooting guard Morgan Means both chipped in with 10 points apiece.
Bishop Montgomery Coach Doug Mitchell insisted he did not employ any special defense — like a box-and-one or a triangle-and-two — to stop Preston. “He’s a great player, but we didn’t do anything exotic, just tried to make him take difficult shots,” Mitchell said moments after the game. Still, it was clear the Bishop Montgomery players were well aware of Preston’s growing reputation as an inside force, as they double and triple-teamed him whenever he got the ball within 10 feet of the hoop. Preston, only a sophomore, will have to figure out how to handle that kind of suffocating attention over the next two years before he heads to one of the elite Division 1 programs that have already offered him a scholarship.
The first quarter blowout decided the ball game, as Bishop Montgomery’s game long lead held steady at 10-19 points, with the high-water mark a 51-32 lead at the end of the third quarter. The only quarter Redondo won was the fourth, by 26-20, but by then it was far too little and far too late.
The loss dropped Redondo’s record to 11-4, while Bishop Montgomery improved to 14-1. Redondo’s next game is January 13, when it hosts Inglewood. Bishop Montgomery will host George Washington Prep on January 7.
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