Sierra Canyon loses semifinal game in Mission League tournament
By Jacob H. Pollon
The Sierra Canyon boys basketball team was upset last Wednesday in a Mission League semifinal tournament game in Chatsworth.
Crespi of Encino came away with a wild 64-61 overtime victory when sophonore Joe Sterling made a 25-foot 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds remaining to give the Celts the upset win.
After taking down Harvard-Westlake and Notre Dame on consecutive Friday nights, Sierra Canyon seemed to have a bit of a letdown.
The Trailblazers trailed 35-24 at halftime before a 19-4 run gave them a 43-39 lead late in the third quarter.
However, Sierra Canyon (24-2) allowed Crespi to regain the lead on the strength of a 9-0 run.
Sierra Canyon received two made free throws from junior swingman Bryce Cofield with just seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime.
Sierra Canyon went ahead 61-56 with about two minutes remaining and Cofield had a point-blank layup to go up seven points. But the ball rimmed out and Crespi took advantage with a huge 3-pointer from Carter Barnes and a steal and layup from Sterling before Strerling’s game winner to cap off an 8-0 run to end the game.
Sierra Canyon was denied a league championship game appearance. Crespi was shellacked 72-54 against Harvard-Westlake two days later.