Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images

Bronny James played the role of hero for Sierra Canyon High School in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday against his father's alma mater, St. Vincent-St. Mary.

Ranked No. 8 in the country by USA Today, Sierra Canyon ran its record to 8-0 in a thriller with a 59-56 win over the Fighting Irish.

LeBron James Jr. stole an inbounds pass with 39 seconds remaining and took the ball from half court to the basket for the go-ahead layup. The 15-year-old freshman finished with a career-high 15 points in the win.

This game had the feeling of a high-level college game even before tipoff thanks to the presence of LeBron James, who was able to support his son since the Los Angeles Lakers had an off day.

Once the game got started, Bronny was able to get his dad and the rest of the crowd pumped up with an impressive finish at the basket:

Given the magnitude of the matchup with two of the top programs in the country that entered undefeated, both teams kept trading body blows throughout. St. Vincent-St. Mary led at the end of the first three quarters, but the margin was never greater than four points.

Videos you might like

All of the pressure was on Bronny in this moment, playing in his home state and against the team where his father first became a phenomenon by gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2002. He rose to the challenge with the highest-scoring game of his young career and earned MVP after leading his team to the win.