D.J. Wagner leads Camden to 66-62 win over Bronny James and Sierra Canyon at the ESPN High School Showcase

The near-sellout crowd at Allentown’s PPL Center that braved the inclement weather Saturday night got to witness what it came to see early in the fourth quarter of the game between Camden High and Sierra Canyon (Calif.) at the ESPN High School Basketball Showcase.

D.J. Wagner, Camden’s talented junior guard and the No. 1-ranked recruit for the class of 2023, put a move on LeBron James’ son, Bronny, that probably would have garnered the Los Angeles Lakers star’s approval had he been present.

King James was a no-show Saturday, as he flew back to Los Angeles for treatment on his ailing left knee and bypassed the last leg of the Lakers’ six-game road trip Sunday in Atlanta.

But the paying customers watched as Wagner sprinted from the left corner to beyond the three-point line near the top of the key and took a pass from Cornelius Robinson. Wagner dribbled behind his back and drove toward the basket with Bronny James smothering him.

But James fell as he backpedaled, and the crowd erupted as Wagner then pulled up and shot a jumper in the paint that hit the rim and kissed the glass before falling through the net to give the Panthers a six-point lead. Camden, ranked No. 12 in the country by ESPN entering Saturday, led the game wire-to-wire and escaped a late Sierra Canyon surge to win, 66-62.

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Wagner finished with a team-high 21 points, along with 3 rebounds and 2 steals. James, also a junior, finished with 9 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals.

“Definitely a good player. He can play,” Wagner said of James after the game. “We try to treat everyone the same. No matter if we’re playing the best team or the worst team. Just come out playing with the same intensity against everybody.”

Sierra Canyon lacked intensity in the first quarter, when the 11th-ranked Trailblazers fell into a 10-0 hole and were trailing 15-2 when the quarter ended after shooting 1-for-12 and committing eight turnovers. Isaiah Elohim scored Sierra Canyon’s lone points of the first quarter on an alley-oop dunk with 4:16 left.

UCLA-bound shooting guard Amari Bailey struggled early for Sierra Canyon before finishing with a game-high 23 points.

Camden coach Rick Brunson said his team didn’t treat Saturday’s game differently than any another, even with the added media attention and hype of Camden going up against players of James’ and Bailey’s caliber.

“I mean, those guys are good players. I don’t know if maybe they’re tired. Look, I put my money on my guys,” Brunson said. “I thought tonight was our night. I’m not saying those guys can’t come back tomorrow and beat us. Tonight was our night in terms of how we played and how we took the game to them.”

Before the start of the game, fans were already crowded around the court during the two teams’ pregame shootaround, many taking videos or photos of James, Wagner and other players. Wagner was dressed in a black T-shirt with the message, “MAGIC IS IN THE WORK.”

Camden won the tipoff, but Wagner missed his first shot attempt from the left corner. Brunson said the Panthers “understand that teams are going to double our best player [Wagner]” every game, and that the other players have to create their own opportunities and open shots as a result.

Brunson credited his team’s suffocating defense in the first quarter as the main factor for Sierra Canyon’s early woes.

“I thought D.J. played under control, played with pace,” he said. “Listen, our guys, they’re good players. I thought we shared the ball, I thought we took time with shots. Our defense is the one that carried us.

“I don’t get caught up in who steps up. Like I said, every day we just play against ourselves,” he added. “If you think stepping up against LeBron James — to me, that’s the sign of a bad player. You only play good against LeBron James? You’ve got to play good against everybody, every single night.”

Sierra Canyon outscored Camden 21-17 in the final quarter and made a furious rally to make the game close before Wagner got the ball and dribbled to run out the final seconds.

“I thought we played a great game for 31 minutes. But the last minute was not us,” Brunson said. “I thought we were tired. The fast break, it hurt us. Our last minute, we were out of whack.”

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Camden 7-foot junior center Aaron Bradshaw had 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots, and fellow center Dasear Haskins chipped in with 11 points and eight boards. Sierra Canyon forward Kijani Wright — who has committed to USC and was selected with Bailey last week to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game — was held to two points.

Wagner, who has been linked to top-tier programs Kentucky and Memphis and whose father, Dajuan, and grandfather, Milt, both played in the NBA, said Saturday night’s game provided “great competition for us.” Wagner added that he appreciated the Camden fans who made the 67-mile trek to watch the game in person.

“It was crazy,” Wagner said. “These [games] are the best type of atmosphere. Especially Camden High, stuff like that, these are the atmospheres you live for. Like I said, Camden’s got the best fans in the world to me.”

And with that comment, Wagner eased his way through a thicket of security, team personnel, and media, while a smattering of young fans hovered in the stands above him, screaming, “D.J.!” and begging for a selfie or autograph.