Trailing by three points with under three minutes remaining in the CIF Boys Basketball State Championships last Friday, Sierra Canyon amplified the kind of team they were all season: resilient, tough on defense, and always united.
The Trailblazers rose to the occasion yet again at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento by going on a 9-1 run to beat Lincoln of Stockton, 58-53, securing the program's fourth state title. Junior forward Maxi Adams scored eight points in the final two minutes, including a clutch three to take the lead, finishing with 14 points and eight rebounds.
Senior point guard Gavin Hightower led the team in scoring for a second straight playoff game with 15 points and nine rebounds. Hightower, who had a team-high 25 points in the semifinals at home against Redondo Union on March 11, was named "Athlete of the Week" by the Los Angeles Daily News.
Despite making one of 13 threes in the first half, the Trailblazers trailed by just four points at halftime. Head Coach Andre Chevalier's squad instead looked inside the paint to do their damage, where they outscored the Trojans 22-13 and outrebounded them 44-32.
"It wasn't a great flow tonight," said Chevalier to the Los Angeles Times after the game. "There were a lot of whistles blown."
Anchoring the Trailblazers' aggressive defense, senior guard/forward Bryce Cofield scored 11 points with eight rebounds, while junior wing Stephen Kankole was a bright spot off the bench, making three of six threes to finish with 10 points.
After competing in the Division I playoffs, Sierra Canyon finished their season 27-7. The program added to their titles in 2018 and 2019 (Open Division) and 2015 (Division 5). Meanwhile, Chevalier recorded his 456th career victory.
The Trailblazers' roster will look different next season as they say farewell to nine graduating seniors: Cofield (Fullerton), Hightower (Iona), Bryce James (Arizona), Jayden Alexander, Michael Baba, Chris Cain, Donovan Averitte, Edwin Bai (Columbia), and Tairi Haba-Wallace.
Until then, the team can take their coach's advice and celebrate this title "like it's the world championship."
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