Calumet celebrates
Calumet star turned in Saturday’s most entertaining performance
Class B champs turn the Big House into an “Island” party Saturday.
Riley Island bopped himself on the top of the head with three fingers, curled his lips into a fierce snarl, then raised his arms and flapped his hands to encourage the crowd.
He celebrated like Russell Westbrook.
Backed it up like the Thunder superstar, too.
On a day of big-time, high-stakes high school basketball all over the state, no player was more entertaining than Island. The Calumet guard not only led his team to a 64-53 victory against LeFlore in the Class B state championship game but also scored 40 points.
It was only the sixth time since 2000 that a boy in any classification has scored that many points in a title game.
“I just told my teammates I would come out … and do whatever I could to get them a state championship,” Island said. “It starts with me.”
Sure did Saturday at The Big House.
Island scored or assisted on every point that Calumet scored in the first quarter. He hit four 3-pointers and made
several nifty assists, including a baseball pass from one end of the court to a streaking teammate on the other end. Island couldn’t have put the ball in his teammate’s hands any better if he’d been standing right beside him.
That first quarter was a sign of things to come.
Even though Island cooled a bit from behind the arc in the second quarter, the wiry 6-foot-1 junior never stopped finding ways to impact the game. Hefinished withCalumet’s highest mark in every single statistical category. In addition to his 40 points, he had seven rebounds, eight assists, two steals and two blocks.
“He works at it a lot,” Calumet coach Jacob Mayfield said. “Shoots a ton. Plays all year round.”
He shook his head in amazement.
“Just wasn’t going to let us lose.”
None of Island’s stats was bigger for Calumet than his made free throws. With LeFlore working to whittle down a Calumet lead that reached as many as 10 points early in the fourth quarter, Calumet put the ball in Island’s hand, and LeFlore put him at the free-throw line. Island was 12 of 14 from the line in the final 2:21 of the game, and one of his two misses was intentional.
Of course, he went and snagged the rebound.
Island was fouled one last time after that rebound, hitting two more free throws, reaching that 40-point plateau and icing the title for Calumet. After a timeout, Calumet’s starters gave way to young bench players and one of the most entertaining title-game performances in recent memory came to an end.
His celebratory antics added to the show. There was nothing ugly or unsportsmanlike, nothing directed toward his opponent. Everything he did was in jubilation, not jeering. Hitting his head. Waving his arms. Snarling.
Island admits he was imitating Westbrook.
“I just love what he does to get the crowd excited,” said Island, who even had a Westbrook-esque tripledouble Friday in the semifinals. “I just try to get the crowd involved, get ‘em hyped and take away the other team’s confidence.”
Thing is, it’s what Island didbefore the antics that got the crowd going. The scoring. The rebounding. The passing. It’s the substance before the style that fired people up. He understands that. “You gotta do it before you celebrate,” he said.
Riley Island did plenty Saturday afternoon, winning a title, going for 40 and entertainingthose of us who were lucky enough to be at The Big House.