Cowboys outlast St. Bonaventure, 89-86, in Southern Section Division 2A title game at Azusa Pacific University
Canyon High School senior Noah Madrigal said it felt like a never-ending game.
And that’s what it looked like — but Madrigal had other plans to cap off his Friday night.
After 43 minutes and with it looking like a fourth overtime was inevitable, Madrigal hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer off the backboard to lift the Canyon Cowboys boys’ basketball team to its first-ever CIF Southern Section title.
“A lot of emotions were going through my mind, but mostly, excitement, just seeing my team coming up and just celebrating with us,” Madrigal said. “And, yeah, it was a really great feeling.”
Canyon edged the St. Bonaventure Seraphs, 89-86, for the Division 2A title at Azusa Pacific University, the third straight season that the Seraphs have lost in the section final.
Most of the Cowboys have been playing together since fifth grade, Madrigal said, making this championship that much sweeter.
“We’ve just built that chemistry over time,” Madrigal said. “And we knew we were gonna be good, like, ever since our freshman year, because we’ve known each other for so long, and we just built that chemistry. And I think it’s really special, our group.”
The winning basket gave Madrigal 10 points and the Cowboys their fifth player in double figures on the night.
The game was nearly finished in regulation when Canyon senior Eric Kubel, the owner of a number of clutch shots this season and throughout his team’s playoff run, hit a three of his own with 1.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Southern Section staff had actually started to bring out the plaque and medals – but the referees put time back on the clock, and Seraphs freshman phenom Charlie Adams, the Seraphs’ leading scorer on the season, knocked down a last-second heave to send the game to overtime.
From that point on, it was haymaker after haymaker, dagger after dagger as both teams seemingly willed their way to winning positions only for the other to find a way to keep the party going.
“That’s all we do is regroup,” said Kubel, who had six points after the first quarter before being held scoreless through the middle frames. He finished with 19 points, one behind junior Isaac Yuhico’s team-high 20 points.
Yuhico dished out the assist to Madrigal for the winning shot and finished with four assists.
Senior Sean Hernandez was key throughout the contest, ending up with 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Canyon coach Ali Monfared called him “our Pau Gasol,” in a reference to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame player who won two NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“He can do everything on the court,” Monfared said. “He can post, he can spin, he can pass, he can play off, too. He can shoot the ball, he can dribble the ball, he can pass the ball. He’s got the IQ of a savant. He truly is our Pau Gasol. He’s a guy that, if you’re there every day in the gym, you know what he does for your team.”
Hernandez said it was “the best game I’ve ever had,” but also the longest he’s been a part of.
“I’ve never experienced a triple-overtime game,” Hernandez said. “It’s the longest game I’ve definitely ever played in. They never gave up, which is, I really respect that. But when we train so hard and we train for these moments, these long games and stuff, I just feel like we outworked them, and it helped us win.”
St. Bonaventure head coach Wolfgang Wood said he told his players after the game that they had no reason to feel like they did anything wrong.
“They were resilient, and I just told the guys, ‘Put your head up high and be a professional walking out,’ because they didn’t do anything that was wrong,” Wood said. “They played a good game. Canyon just played a little bit better.”
Canyon started off the game on a 15-5 run before the Seraphs stormed back, but the Cowboys never trailed until the first minute of the fourth quarter when Adams, who had 16 points, hit two free throws to put his team up by one. The Seraphs didn’t lead again until the 30-second mark of the fourth quarter.
Monfared said the opening run, which saw the Cowboys seemingly scoring at will and suffocating St. Bonaventure on defense, was crucial. But in his eyes, both teams deserved to walk away with a title.
“I thought St. Bonaventure easily could have been the CIF champion,” Monfared said. “And such credit to coach Wood, such a great guy. Their team is phenomenal. I mean, what a shot by Charlie to end the game. You know, they’re running a plaque on the court, and I’m going crazy, and there’s still 1.5 seconds, and the chances of it going in are probably 1%, and Charlie makes it 10% because he’s that good. I mean, just to be a freshman, credit to him in this game. That program has a bright future, and it really is a shame that they couldn’t win the game as well, because I have all the respect for that program.”
Seraphs senior Mathew Wilson led all players with 28 points. Senior Sam Seiden had 16 points.
Kubel played all 44 minutes, the only player for either team to not sit once.
“I’m exhausted,” both he and Hernandez said.
Hernandez played 32 and a half minutes, just over the equivalent of a regulation game in high school. They were two of four Canyon players to play more than 32 minutes on Friday, while senior Solomon Sims was just behind at 30 minutes, 25 seconds.
“We do a lot of conditioning at practice, like a lot of running,” Hernandez said. “For conditioning days. We had some 6-mile days, 8-mile days. We went crazy with conditioning. I just feel like (Monfared has) kept us honest and in good condition all year long for these moments.”
Both teams now have to get ready for the state tournament, which is set to begin on Tuesday. All four semifinal teams in the division secured automatic berths and will find out their next steps on Sunday when the CIF is set to release the brackets.
But Monfared said all the focus for now is on what his players accomplished Friday night, putting their names in the lore of Canyon High School.
“We’re going to enjoy this thoroughly for the next two days,” Monfared said. “We want to go win state, for sure. But this is time to enjoy the fruits of our labor. This is time for the kids to realize that you’ll never, ever, ever regret working hard … What matters is the Canyon Cowboys are the Division 2A champions, and I can’t be more proud.”
