If overcoming adversity is a key to winning in the playoffs, #6 Canyons showed it is ready for the postseason, rallying from a 13-point first-half deficit without their injured starting point guard to edge #11 Allan Hancock, 71-68, in a regional quarterfinal game Friday in Santa Clarita.
Canyons (21-8) fell behind, 30-17, with 6:53 left in the first half and trailed by seven points at the half. And when the Cougars came out for the second half, sophomore PG Terrez Scott was on crutches, with a protective boot on his right foot.
But Canyons rallied for the win, holding Allan Hancock (20-10) to just 28 points in the second half and getting key contributions from several sources. Ctr Ronald Harris had a double-double, SG Jaylen Bland managed 16 pts despite a rough shooting night and SF David Horst came off the bench for 9 pts, 8 rebs and 4 steals. And PGs Jawhar Purdy and Sam Colmenero managed well enough in Scott's absence to help COC get the win.
Early on, it was Hancock that looked like it was ready for the postseason. The Bulldogs made their first four shots of the game and built a 21-10 lead just a few minutes into the game. A driving lay-up from SG Junior Anderson pushed the lead to a dozen at 27-15, and a 3-point play from PG Leron Fisher made it 30-17 with 6:53 left before halftime.
But Canyons chopped the lead to just four points late in the first half. Bland, who missed his first six shots of the game, started the rally with a 3-pointer and a steal & lay-up to get the Cougars within eight points at 34-26. A 3-pointer from Horst made it 37-31, and then Horst scored on a putback with 1:20 left in the first half to make it 37-33.
Hancock pushed the lead back to seven points after a 3-pointer by PF Demetrius Harris in the final minute of the first half. But Canyons scored the first two baskets of the second half despite Scott being stuck on the bench, to cut the deficit to just three points at 40-37.
Hancock pushed the lead back to nine points at 46-37 after Fisher dished out assists on a pair of baskets by Ctr Josh Varney and then scored himself off a pass from Thomas. But that would be the last time Hancock would hold what seemed like a formidable lead.
Canyons cut the deficit to just two points when PF Temjae Singleton scored on a putback to make it 50-48. Then after a steal by Horst, Bland scored to tie the game at 50 with 12:10 left. Horst put Canyons in front, 52-50 with a steal & dunk with 11:50 remaining, and the Cougars led the rest of the way.
COC SF Lionel Poole hit a 3-pointer to give COC a 57-52 lead. And Canyons pushed its lead to as many as seven points after Harris scored off an inbounds pass from Horst with 6:50 left to make it 61-54.
Hancock rallied to get within two points when Anderson split two free throws with 2:50 left. More problematic for Canyons was that Purdy was assessed his 4th foul on the play, and with Scott sidelined it was up to third-string PG Sam Colmenero to take over.
But the Cougars held on. Bland threw an alley-oop lob to Harris for a dunk to make it 65-63. SF Khufu Najee made two free throws for Hancock with 2:33 left, but Bland scored off a thread-the-needle pass from Colmenero, was fouled and made the free throw to complete the 3-point play with 2:16 left to make it 68-63.
Still, Hancock had several chances to pull even or into the lead after baskets by Varney and SG Devonne Nolan made it 68-67 with 1:30 left. Colmenero made a free throw for Canyons with 1:01 left. Fisher tried a 3-pointer from the left corner that would have put Hancock in front, but it missed. Bland tried a 3-pointer for COC that missed and Varney got the rebound, but he lost the ball under pressure from Singleton, giving possession back to the Cougars with 29 seconds left.
Bland made two free throws with 25 seconds left to make it 71-67. Then Bland blocked a 3-point try by Fisher with 17 seconds left. But the ball went out of bounds to Hancock, and five seconds later Thomas was fouled while trying a 3-pointer, giving him the chance to make it a 1-point game.
Thomas made the first free throw, but missed the other two, keeping the score 71-68. Horst got the rebound and got the ball to Bland. Nolan for Hancock intercepted a Bland pass, but just as quickly Horst intercepted Nolan's pass towards the lane, giving Canyons possession. He got the ball to Purdy, who dribbled out the final couple of seconds of the game.
For Canyons, Harris finished with 19 pts and a team-high 12 rebs for the double-double. Bland had 16 pts, 5 rebs, 6 asts, 2 blocks and 2 steals despite making just 5 of 21 field goal attempts. No other Cougar scored in double figures. But all five Cougar reserves scored at least a point, led by Horst's total of 9 pts, 8 rebs and 4 steals.
For Hancock, Varney had a team-high 18 pts on 9-for-12 from the floor and added a game-high 15 rebs. Najee had 12 pts, 8 rebs and 3 asts. Fisher had 11 pts and a team-high 6 asts, and Thomas also had 11 pts. But the AHC reserves totaled just 7 pts and no rebounds, a strong contrast to COC's bench totals of 22 pts and 14 rebs.
With the win, Canyons advances to the regional semifinals and will play the winner of tomorrow's Antelope Valley-Mt. San Antonio match. If AVC wins tomorrow, the game will be in Santa Clarita while if Mt. SAC wins COC will be on the road.
box score
Friday, March 1, 2013 - 7 pm
at College of the Canyons, Santa Clarita
Playoffs - Regional Quarterfinal
Allan Hancock Bulldogs 68:
1-Khufu Najee, SF - 3/8 fg, 6/6 ft, 8 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 12 pts
2-Leron Fisher, PG - 4/10 fg, 2/4 ft, 3 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 11 pts
3-Devonne Nolan, SG - 4/10 fg, 1/2 ft, 2 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl, 1 pf, 9 pts
32-Demetrius Thomas, PF - 4/9 fg, 1/5 ft, 6 reb, 2 ast, 3 pf, 11 pts
33-Josh Varney, C - 9/12 fg, 15 reb, 3 pf, 18 pts
10-Gary Dysart, G - 2/3 fg, 4 pts
23-Brian Vignaud, F - 0 pts
24-Junior Anderson, G - 1/3 fg, 1/3 ft, 3 pts
21-Seth Kena, C - 1 pf, 0 pts
31-Anthony Trepagnier, F - 1 ast, 1 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 7
Totals: 27/55 fg (.491), 11/20 ft (.550), 41 reb, 16 ast, 0 blk, 5 stl, 15 pf, 68 pts
3-pt fg (3): Thomas 2, Fisher
Turnovers (18): Najee 5, Fisher 4, Nolan 3, Thomas 2, Varney 2, Anderson 2
Canyons Cougars 71:
5-Jaylen Bland, SG - 5/21 fg, 5/5 ft, 5 reb, 6 ast, 2 blk, 2 stl, 2 pf, 16 pts
15-Temjae Singleton, PF - 3/12 fg, 0/1 ft, 9 reb, 2 stl, 3 pf, 6 pts
25-Ronald Harris, C - 8/12 fg, 3/3 ft, 12 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 pf, 19 pts
30-Terrez Scott, PG - 1/2 fg, 1 stl, 1 pf, 3 pts
31-Tyler Barber, SF - 2/8 fg, 1 reb, 1 stl, 2 pf, 5 pts
11-David Horst, F - 4/12 fg, 8 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 4 stl, 2 pf, 9 pts
34-Jawhar Purdy, G - 2/7 fg, 2/2 ft, 2 ast, 4 pf, 6 pts
44-John Green, C - 1/2 ft, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 pt
14-Lionel Poole, F - 2/2 fg, 3 reb, 1 stl, 5 pts
10-Sam Colmenero, G - 0/1 fg, 1/2 ft, 1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 pt
team rebounds: 2
Totals: 27/77 fg (.351), 12/15 ft (.800), 43 reb, 15 ast, 4 blk, 12 stl, 15 pf, 71 pts
3-pt fg (5): Bland, Scott, Barber, Horst, Poole
Turnovers (10): Bland 3, Singleton, Harris, Scott, Barber, Horst, Poole, Colmenero
Halftime Score: Allan Hancock 40, Canyons 33
Updated Records: Canyons (#6-seed) 21-8, Allan Hancock (#11-seed) 20-10
AHC led 30-17 with 6:53 left in the 1st half. Scott left with a foot injury and dnp-2nd half.
COC took 54-52 lead with 11:50 left and led the rest of the way. Horst's steal in the final seconds clinched the win for COC.
