Hardly 24 hours removed from a tournament loss to Mater Dei, Canyon girls basketball was eager to get back on the court and hungry for a win.
A 66-46 win over Hart at home was just what the Cowboys needed to get their confidence back on track.
“Our mentality was to bounce back,” said senior Gabby Sanchez. “We played against Mater Dei and we don’t think we played our best and now, coming out, we needed to make a statement again to show that we’re capable of being a team.”
The Indians’ Annie Christofferson didn’t make it easy for them, however. The senior scored a game-high 27 points, despite being guarded by the physical duo of Sanchez and Selasi Mawugbe.
“We have great defenders. She’s an insane shooter,” said Canyon coach Jessica Haayer. “I feel like Gabby and Selasi, they’re so long and so physical that it’s really hard to, she had to work for every single one of those points.”
Rachel Bowers and Talia Taufaasau topped Canyon’s stat sheets with 25 and 22 points, respectively.
The Cowboys (17-4 overall, 3-0 in Foothill League) pulled to a 40-18 lead by halftime, but slowed their roll ever so slightly in the second half. The Indians (10-10, 1-2) caught up to make the score 58-33 by the end of the third frame thanks to a seven-point quarter from Christofferson.
Canyon is the only team left in the Foothill League with an undefeated league record.
“It’s just another rung in the ladder,” said Sanchez. “Our ultimate goal is to get to CIF and win it all this time.”
Valencia 63, West Ranch 16
Chyanne Pagkalinawan led the Vikings with 16 points, while Chidinman Ikonte followed with 15 points and seven rebounds. Mailey Ballard chipped in six points and four assists.
Tiana Beale added 13 points and Nicole Weatherman had six points and six rebounds.
For the Wildcats, Eleanor McQuillen scored 10 points.
Valencia is 11-9 overall and 3-0 in league play and will take on Golden Valley at home on Thursday at 5 p.m.
West Ranch is 10-7 and 0-3. The Wildcats host Hart on Thursday at 5 p.m.
Saugus 67, Golden Valley 48
Libbie McMahan led the Centurions with 21 points, followed by Monique Febles with 14. Eden Mackenzie had 11 points.
Saugus, which is 16-3 and 2-1, travels to Canyon on Thursday for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff.
Golden Valley (11-7, 0-3) plays at Valencia on Thursday at 5 p.m.