Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Even before the tip last week, Seabury Hall boys basketball coach Scott Prather knew that Sebastian Peterson was ready for the state tournament.

With the news that two-time defending Division II state champion Kohala had its star player back in Layden Kauka – who transferred back home from Utah Prep where he played earlier this season – Prather prepped his team for a potential showdown with the Cowboys.

"Before we even played I talked to the team about the return of Layden and how that shifts the landscape of competition and when I mentioned that to the boys and to Sebastian, he wasn't saying, ‘Oh, that's tough.' It was, ‘Good, now I get to get my getback on that guy now,' " Prather said of Peterson, a junior guard.

Rather that shy away from the challenge, Peterson was fully prepared to rise to the occasion.

"He was like, ‘Let's go. We got more competition now, let's go.' That was his attitude and that impressed me the most and just the fact that he went out there and played efficient basketball. It wasn't that he was left open. He made the right reads, made the right decisions, took good shots – he just played smart basketball – and he put himself in position to score, he put himself in position to get rebounds and he did it all in a high basketball IQ kind of way," Prather described.

The numbers certainly back up Prather's assessment. In Seabury Hall's three state tournament games last week, Peterson averaged 23 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. The 6-foot, 160-pound second-year starter shot 56.4 percent from the field, 38.4 percent from beyond the arc and 76.9 percent from the free throw line.

Peterson played all but three minutes of the Spartans' run to the first basketball state championship in school history.

"I'm just so proud of him. He's just gotten so much better over the years. The biggest thing this year was staying healthy," Prather said.

He noted that Peterson dealt with hip injury a year ago at the state tournament, when the Spartans reached the title game, but fell short against Kohala, 49-45.

"Sebastian had a hurt hip coming into the final game and then he (aggravates it) in the first quarter. I can't say that it would have been a different result had that not happened, but I feel like that could have made a difference and maybe we pull it out, but this year he's put together an all-state campaign. He's probably pound-for-pound our best rebounder and with Bromo (Dorn) drawing so much attention, other guys had to step up and Sebastian was ready. He was ready to be that guy and take over whenever needed," Prather said.

Dorn, a 6-foot-5 swingman, worked his way into one of the state's premier players over the years. He earned All-Hawaii D2 Second Team honors as a sophomore and last year picked up First Team recognition. Dorn finished this year as the state's top scorer at 25.5 points per game. As Prather described, with Dorn's off-the-charts level of production, Peterson's gains this year proved that much more beneficial for the Spartans.

"Sebastian really is the entire package. I think it begins with his competitive spirit – he's willing to battle, he's battled with Bromo all season and he just competes every day offensively and defensively. In every drill he competes at a high level and he just hates losing and that desire to win and willingness to push as hard as he can just puts him as one of the best guards that I've ever coached," Prather said.

Peterson averaged 16.1 points per game over the course of the season. He drained 56 3-pointers and shot 73.7 percent on free throws. Peterson scored in double figures in at least 26 of Seabury Hall's games this year. He scored 20-or-more points 10 times and broke the 30-point mark twice.

"First and foremost, he's very smart – he's a very high basketball-IQ type of player – he's sneaky bouncy. I mean, he's had several dunks in games this year – hard dunks – so he can get way over the rim, but he's just a really smart player. He can really shoot it, he's got great touch around the rim, but he's also a good passer, an accurate passer, who makes the right play. If it's scoring that needs to be done, he can do that, or if it's setting people up – whatever it takes to get the win," Prather said.

Aside from his technical ability, Prather also praised the leadership ability that Peterson has improved upon. Since first joining the team as a freshman, Peterson's grown by leaps and bounds in that regard and served as one of the team's captains this winter.

"As a sophomore he started to show signs of leadership and just being someone who can be counted upon to calm guys down in games, but this year, having that experience under his belt, his leadership was amazing. Whenever we needed him in a big moment, he would show up," Prather said.

Prather described both Peterson and Dorn as "two alpha males who work well together," but while the latter carries a bit of a stronger persona, the former "just has a sense of calmness and comfort that you know he's going to get the job done.

"His ability to keep the other guys calm in moments of chaos, to hit big free throws when crunch time hits – I mean, he's fueled by his desire to get better," Prather said.

One area where Peterson has shown vast improvement is on the defensive end of the floor.

"That was an area earlier in his career that he wasn't the best defender, but he became a better defender this year and that really took his game to another level – that was the missing piece – and now he's a terrific defender on top of all his offensive skill," Prather noted.

Last week's state tournament was the culmination of a stellar junior season for Peterson.

In Wednesday's quarterfinal win over Kaiser, he scored a career-high 32 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field. Peterson made three 3-pointers and was 9 of 11 on free throws. The following night against Kohala, he went 7 of 15 from the field and tallied 20 points to go with seven rebounds and six assists. Finally, Peterson recorded 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting in Friday night's championship game against Hawaii Prep. He made seven of his eight attempts from the free throw line and also collected seven boards with three assists and two steals.

With the Spartans set to graduate Dorn and fellow seniors Keahi Sjostrand, Soren Moog and Jack Bendon among others, much will fall upon the shoulders of Peterson next year.

"He's going to be the No. 1 person on the scouting report when you discuss Seabury basketball and he's ready for it. I know he's going to put in the work and take his game to another level. That being said, other guys will have to step up – he can't do it by himself, Bromo couldn't do it by himself. I think if people double and triple up on him, he'll find the right person, which could be even more dangerous because he's such a willing and dangerous passer and a smart player, not just a scorer, so other guys are just going to have to be ready to shoot, to make the right cut and Sebastian will find them; He's going to make the right play," Prather said.

Prather pointed out that in addition to Peterson's on-the-court capabilities, he is also a well-rounded student-athlete and a reflects positively on his school, family and community.

"He is one of the most respectful kids I've ever coached. He's a good teammate, he comes from a good family – his parents have been extremely helpful to the program and I just can't imagine doing what we did without their help; They have been incredible supports of us over the years – he is not a cocky, arrogant type of kid. He's very humble and is the kind of kid you can root for. It would be hard to cheer against that kid," Prather said.

Peterson and Dorn were both selected to the HHSAA All-Tournament Team, with Dorn earning tournament Most Outstanding Player distinction.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Alika Ahu, University Lab — Scored 19 points with three rebounds and two steals in a loss to Punahou and scored 17 points with five rebounds, one assist and a block in a loss to Kahuku 

Trey Ambrozich, University Lab — Scored 28 points with nine rebounds and three blocks in a win over Kailua and scored 12 points with 10 rebounds and one assist in a loss to Kahuku 

Norris Birdsong, Kaiser — Scored 17 points in a loss to Seabury Hall 

LeCedric Brown, Mililani — Scored 17 points in a loss to Kahuku 

Ethan Chung, Punahou — Scored 18 points with four rebounds and one assist in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii 

Kashus Daley, Kahuku — Scored 17 points in a win over Mililani 

Levi Damo-Agcaoili, Damien — Scored 18 points in a loss to Kauai 

Bromo Dorn, Seabury Hall — Scored 19 points with six rebounds, one steal and a block in a win over Kaiser, scored 27 points with eight rebounds and three steals in a win over Kohala and scored 20 points with seven rebounds, three steals and two assists in a win over Hawaii Prep 

Vander Eberhard, Hawaii Prep — Scored 20 points with seven rebounds and a block in a win over Kauai 

Roman Gabriel, Mililani — Scored 19 points in a loss to Kahuku 

Cody Gardanier, Kamehameha-Maui — Scored 19 points with seven rebounds and one block in a loss to University Lab 

Reese Jenkins, Kauai — Scored 19 points in a win over Damien 

Laakea Kamahele, Le Jardin — Scored 13 points with 11 rebounds, two blocks, one assist and a steal in a loss to Aiea 

Layden Kauka, Kohala — Scored 17 points with six rebounds, two assists and two steals in a win over Damien and scored 20 points with four rebounds, four assists and one steal in a loss to Seabury Hall 

Shealand Kazama, Aiea — Scored 20 points with 10 rebounds, three blocks, one assist and one steal in a win over Le Jardin 

Dylan Kuia, Baldwin — Scored 29 points with five rebounds, five steals, one assist and a block in a loss to Leilehua 

Ronin Naihe, Kahuku — Scored 16 points with three rebounds, one assist and a steal in a win over Baldwin and scored 24 points with five rebounds, one steal and a block in a win over University Lab 

Noah Park, Aiea — Scored 25 points with 10 rebounds and two assists in a loss to Hawaii Prep 

Maddox Pung, Kailua — Scored 19 points in a win over Leilehua 

Zachery Ranos, Leilehua — Scored 27 points, including six 3-pointers, with four assists, three rebounds, three steals and one block in a win over Konawaena 

Shannon Revuelto, Saint Louis — Scored 17 points with four assists, two rebounds, two steals and one block in a win over Leilehua 

Cam Root, Hawaii Prep — Scored 13 points with 13 rebounds, two steals and two blocks in a win over Kauai 

Isaac Salvador-Libron, Kohala — Scored 21 points, including five 3-pointers, with five rebounds and one steal in a loss to Seabury Hall 

Santi Sarbeland, Aiea — Scored 14 points with 14 rebounds, three assists and one steal in a win over Le Jardin 

Pupu Sepulona, Saint Louis — Scored 17 points with seven rebounds and two assists in a win over Leilehua, scored 16 points with five rebounds and one assist in a win over Kahuku 

Trystin Stevens, Leilehua — Scored 19 points with seven rebounds and one assist in a win over Konawaena and scored 24 points in a loss to Kailua 

Tate Takamiya, Punahou — Scored 16 points with three steals, two rebounds and one assist in a win over Moanalua and scored 16 points with four rebounds, two assists and one steal in a win over University Lab 

Casey Talana, Baldwin — Scored 18 points with five rebounds, three assists and one steal in a loss to Kahuku and scored 17 points with five rebounds and two assists in a loss to Leilehua 

Emmanuel Tiritas, Kaiser — Scored 19 points with seven rebounds, one assist and a steal in a loss to Seabury Hall 

Skyler Unten, Kailua — Scored 11 points with 10 rebounds, two assists and one block in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii 

Zion White, Punahou — Scored 17 points with three rebounds, two blocks, one assist and a steal in a win over Moanalua, scored 16 points with 10 rebounds, one assist, one steal and a block in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii, scored 10 points with 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals in a win over University Lab and scored nine points with 14 rebounds, two assists and one block in a win over Saint Louis 

Tyree Wilson, Leilehua — Scored 27 points with 15 rebounds, two assists, one steal and a block in a win over Baldwin 

Micah Yamasaki, Hawaii Prep — Scored 16 points with four rebounds and one assist in a win over Aiea 

Kiai Yasso, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 18 points with three rebounds, three steals and one assist in a loss to Punahou 

Joven Young, Konawaena — Scored 17 points, including four 3-pointers, with one assist in a loss to Leilehua