PG Gino Riney’s 16-foot jumper with 3 seconds remaining lifted #4 Canyons (22-5, 8-0) to a dramatic 68-66 win over #15 Citrus (17-12, 4-5) Saturday evening in Santa Clarita. Canyons rallied from a 14-point first-half deficit, still trailed by 9 with under four minutes left and won its second division game on a late-game shot to stay undefeated in WSC-South play.
For most of the game, Citrus seemed in control of the action. The Owls shot 53% in the first half, and opened a double-digit lead at 21-10 after a pair of threes by SG Buchi Awaji midway through the first half. That lead reached 14 points at 38-24 after a three by PG Kevin McCaughey with just over 3 minutes left in the first half. Canyons closed the margin to 9 at 38-29 before a driving lay-up by McCaughey pushed Citrus’ lead back into double figures at 40-29 as the halftime buzzer sounded.
Early in the second half, McCaughey made a pair of free throws to increase the Owl lead back to 13 points at 42-29. But then Canyons turned to their big man, Ctr, Everett Bryson, who helped get the Cougars back into the game. After drawing two quick fouls on Citrus Ctr Deonta Black and sending him to the bench, Bryson scored four consecutive baskets to cut the Owl lead to a single point at 44-43. And moments later, PG Shant Bicakci drained a three for Canyons to tie the game at 50 with just under 11 minutes remaining.
But Citrus wasn’t finished yet, and the Owls scored the next 7 points to re-claim a 7-point lead at 57-50 after a three by SG Shaughn Hull. Canyons’ got another basket from Bryson and a three from PF Jovonne Augustus to cut the lead to 57-55, but then Citrus got a jumper from Awaji, a free throw from McCaughey and a pair of baskets from Black to push the lead back to 9 at 64-55. And the free throw came after a technical foul on Bryson, which sent him to the bench.
However, Canyons still had 3:19 with which to work, and that turned out to be just enough time. A basket by Augustus on a feed from Riney got the rally started, and then Riney drained a three to make it 64-60. Then Bryson, back in the game, scored on a putback of his own miss to make it 64-62. And Canyons tied the game on a basket by SF Dwayne Jones on an outlet pass from PF Jacob Briggs after a blocked shot by Bryson. That evened the score at 64 with just over two minutes left.
Then neither team scored as the clock ticked down under a minute. The ball went back to Canyons, and Riney fed Bryson for yet another basket to put the Cougars on top, 66-64, with 50 seconds left. That pass was Riney’s 10th assist of the game. But when Citrus got the ball back, it went to Black, who drew a foul and calmly knocked down a pair of free throws to tie the game once again, 66-66 with 38 seconds left.
With so little time left, Canyons elected to hold the ball for one last shot. The ball ended up in the hands of Riney as the shot clock ticked down to single digits. Riney started to drive into the lane, stopped just outside the free throw line and nailed a jumper to put the Cougars in front, 68-66.
The clock mistakenly continued to run, and went to zeroes. But the officials correctly stopped the COC celebration and put three seconds back on the clock, giving Citrus one last chance. The ball went to Awaji, but his 30-foot off-balance shot at the buzzer bounced off the rim, giving COC the win.
It was the third dramatic win for COC in recent weeks; the Cougars topped Santa Monica, 81-79, on January 17th when Jones scored as the buzzer sounded. And Canyons knocked off #1-ranked Bakersfield January 20th 98-94 but clinched the win only after Murray made a pair of free throws with 8 seconds remaining. But the win gives COC a 8-0 record in WSC-South play, and undoubtedly will help Coach Howard Fisher, who missed the game with the flu, feel better.
For Canyons, Bryson led the way with 21 pts, including 19 in the second half after missing much of the first half with foul trouble. Jones came off the bench to add 13 pts and 6 rebs. Murray had 10 pts, while Augustus added 8. Briggs, who played at Citrus in 2004-05, had 4 pts and tied for game honors with 7 rebs. And Riney had just 6 pts but dished out the 10 asts and grabbed 7 rebs.
Statistically, it was a tale of two halves as Citrus shot 53% from the first half but just 35% in the second half. Conversely, Canyons shot 39% in the first half but a strong 57% in the second half. Bryson’s absence in the first half and presence in the second half undoubtedly had a major effect on those numbers.
For Citrus, Awaji had a huge game with 17 pts, 5 rebs and 4 asts. Black had 16 pts and McCaughey had 15. Chad Allan, who played at Valencia HS in Santa Clarita, had 13 pts. Hull dished out a team-high 5 asts. But SF Phil Friesen, normally Citrus’ most productive player, had a rough time of it, finishing with zero points on 0-of-7 shooting though he did managed 4 rebs and 4 asts.
box score
Saturday, February 3, 2007 – 5:30 pm
at the Cougar Cage, COC, Valencia
WSC-South
Citrus Owls 66:
3-Shaughn Hull, SG – 1/8 fg, 2 reb, 5 ast, 3 pts
5-Kevin McCaughey, PG – 4/6 fg, 5/8 ft, 2 reb ,2 ast, 3 stl, 1 pf, 15 pts
20-Phil Friesen, SF – 0/7 fg, 0/1 ft, 4 reb, 4 ast, 2 pf, 0 pts
30-Chad Allan, PF – 6/7 fg, 4 reb, 1 ast, 13 pts
45-Deonta Black, C – 7/10 fg, 2/2 ft, 4 reb, 1 stl, 3 pf, 16 pts
25-Buchi Awaji, G – 6/12 fg, 3/4 ft, 5 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 17 pts
12-Nathaniel Richardson, G – 3 ast, 0 pts
44-Richard Frohlich, C – 2 reb, 1 pf, 0 pts
15-Aaron Arango, G – 1/6 fg, 2 stl, 2 pts
23-Edwin Edukere, C – 1 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 4
Totals: 25/56 fg (.446), 10/15 ft (.667), 27 reb, 19 ast, 0 blk, 7 stl, 11 pf, 66 pts
3-pt fg (6): McCaughey 2, Awaji 2, Hull, Allan
Turnovers (12): Allan 3, Frohlich 3, Friesen 2, Hull, McCaughey, Black, Awaji
Canyons Cougars 68:
3-Andre Murray, SG – 4/7 fg, 3 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 10 pts
4-Jacob Briggs, PF – 2/7 fg, 7 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 4 pf, 4 pts
24-Gerardo Zuniga, SF – 0/2 fg, 2 reb, 1 pf, 0 pts
32-Gino Riney, PG – 2/6 fg, 1/2 ft, 7 reb, 10 ast, 1 stl, 6 pts
34-Everett Bryson, C – 9/14 fg, 3/5 ft, 4 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 4 pf, 21 pts
12-Dwayne Jones, F – 5/10 fg, 6 reb, 3 ast, 4 pf, 13 pts
10-Shant Bicakci, G – 1/2 fg, 3 pts
42-Donjay Kakonde, C – 1 reb, 2 blk, 0 pts
22-Kenya Ward, F – 0 pts
21-Youssef Hulse, F – 1/4 fg, 1/2 ft, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 3 pts
23-Jovonne Augustus, F – 3/4 fg, 1/2 ft, 4 reb, 2 ast, 2 pf, 8 pts
team rebounds: 3
Totals: 27/56 fg (.482), 6/11 ft (.545), 38 reb, 23 ast, 4 blk, 3 stl, 16 pf, 68 pts
3-pt fg (8): Jones 3, Murray 2, Riney, Bicakci, Augustus
Technical Fouls: Jones, Bryson
Turnovers (19): Riney 4, Zuniga 3, Hulse 3, Bryson 2, Jones 2, Bicakci 2, Augustus 2, Briggs
Halftime Score: Citrus 40, Canyons 29
Updated Records: Canyons (#4-South, #8-Calif) 22-5, 8-0 in WSC-S; Citrus (#15-South) 17-12, 4-5 in WSC-S
Citrus led by 14 in 1st half and by 9 at 64-55 with 3:19 left
Riney’s jumper with 3 seconds left won it for COC
