Photos: Auburn (Washington) runs over Norcross (Georgia) 58-41 in semifinals of inaugural State Champions Invitational

Kaden Hansen scores game-high 17 points to lead Trojans to title game

TAMPA, Fla. - Senior guard Kaden Hansen had a game-high 17 points to lead Auburn (Washington) over Norcross (Georgia) 58-41 on Thursday night in semifinals of the inaugural State Champions Invitational boys basketball tournament at Berkeley Preparatory School.

Hanson connected on five 3-pointers and grabbed six rebounds.

The State Champions Invitational is a four-team national tournament for NFHS state champions.

The Trojans, who won the WIAA Class 3A championship this season, improved 28-2 while advancing to Saturday's title game.

Dae'kwon Watson connected on 3-pointer with 5:40 left in the final period that gave Auburn a commanding 46-33 lead. Watson finished with 13 points.

Tre Blassingame contributed 10 points and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds, as well as five steals for the Trojans.

Mier Panoam led Norcross (26-7) with 16 points while teammate Jerry Deng added 11 points and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds. 

The Blue Devils played without standout junior guard London Johnson, who holds offers from North Carolina, Alabama, and USC, among others. Johnson is competing at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Ore., where he is representing Jamaica for Team World.

Here are photos from the game:

(All photos by Annette Wilkerson)

Photo by Annette Wilkerson