Three weeks ago, Calif. boys basketball powers Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) and Bishop Montgomery (Torrance) played a double-overtime thriller in which the latter’s 41-game winning streak ended.
The teams met again Tuesday night in Calabasas in the Southern California Open Division regional semifinals, and the game once again delivered in terms of entertainment value.
Down by 17 points in the third quarter, Sierra Canyon got clutch shots from Ohio State commit Duane Washington and Scotty Pippen to pull out a 72-70 overtime victory. The Trailblazers, 2-1 against Bishop Montgomery this year, will play in Saturday’s regional championship game against Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga) at Long Beach State.
“It was a crazy game,” Washington told the Los Angeles Times’ Eric Sondheimer.
Per the Times, Bishop Montgomery opened a 51-34 lead late in the third quarter before the Trailblazers (24-4) began applying defensive pressure, going on a 12-0 run to start the fourth quarter. Cassius Stanley, California’s No. 1 player in the Class of 2019 according to 247Sports, unleashed two thunderous dunks to help spearhead the rally.
Still, Bishop Montgomery’s lead was 65-60 with 1 minute 31 seconds left.
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A Washington 3-pointer with 23 second left tied the game, and regulation ended with a Bishop Montgomery shot rolling around the rim and falling out.
In the overtime, per the Times, Pippen made an off-balance jump shot with 42 seconds left to give Sierra Canyon a 71-70 lead it didn’t relinquish.
“I just let it fly,” Pippen told the Times, with his father watching and cheering from a front-row seat.
Two three-point attempts by Bishop Montgomery didn’t fall, and that was that.
Josh Vazquez finished with 23 points and California Gatorade Player of the Year David Singleton had 16 for Bishop Montgomery (28-2), whose only two losses this season came to Sierra Canyon.
