Canyon sophomore guard Darby Dunn made history Tuesday night against Golden Valley as she led the Canyon Cowboys to victory while also crossing the 1,000-career point mark.
“I think it’s cool to see all my work getting paid off,” said Dunn. “Over time it’s really cool to have another record in the books.”
Dunn, who is averaging 26.3 points per game this season, entered Tuesday’s night matchup with 996 points, according to MaxPreps.
All Dunn needed was 4 points to be the first player in Foothill League history to reach 1,000 points in her sophomore season. She did that and more: She scored 30 as the Cowboys defeated the Grizzlies, 71-27.
In the opening quarter, Dunn didn’t seem to let the moment get to her. Instead, she stuck to being a leader on the court and facilitated plays, helping her offense build a lead.
The Cowboys’ (10-9, 3-1) first score of the game came off a Dunn assist when she passed the ball to Shannen Wilson, who scored three.
After the game, Dunn added that she wanted to focus on helping her team win and play her game as she knew her time would come.
“I just tried not to focus on it too much and played my game and get my teammates going,” she said.
Dunn scored her 1,000th point off a chaotic sequence of events when Canyon’s Bella Chavez snatched the ball away from a Golden Valley (10-7, 1-3) player. The ball ended up being handed off to multiple players until the sophomore guard received it and ran to the basket for a layup.
Canyon head coach Jessica Haayer spoke on Dunn’s accomplishment and the hard worth she’s displayed not just this season but since she’s arrived at Canyon.
“She works on the defensive end, the offensive end, I challenge everyone to be like her and have a motor like her,” Haayer said. “It’s pretty huge, you know, it’s quite the accomplishment. Like I’m hoping that she will probably score a thousand her senior year.”
With the win, the Cowboys improved to above .500 and jumped to third in the Foothill League standings.
Haayer said that, along with the historic achievement from Dunn, the win presented an opportunity for the team to ride momentum into the rest of the season as she hopes her team finishes the year strong.
“I think we came back from like a ton of games over break, so coming back to league right now is important,” she said. “But it was a really, really big win, and it was so awesome to do it on the night that she scores 1,000.”
The Grizzlies will look to bounce back on Friday as they take on the Saugus Centurions at home.
The Cowboys will be on the road again with a matchup against the Valencia Vikings on Friday with tip-off scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
Phots below from Canyon’s win over Golden Valley:
After Tuesday night’s games, here are scores from around the Foothill League.
Saugus 50, Hart 11: The Centurions (12-5, 4-1) secured the road victory over the Hawks (6-13, 1-3) and kick off the 2026 calendar year with a Foothill League win.
The Centurions play again on the road against the Golden Valley Grizzlies while the Hart Hawks match up with the Castaic Coyotes.
Both games are on Friday and tip off at 5 p.m.
Valencia 82, West Ranch 29: The Lady Vikings (14-3, 4-0) finish the first quarter of league play unbeaten as they defeated the Wildcats (14-4, 2-3) at West Ranch.
Cara McKell led all Vikings in scoring with 23 points as Kamila Basyrova dropped 21 points in the victory to finish second in most points scored.
The Vikings play again on Friday as they host Canyon while the Wildcats pick up Foothill League play again on Tuesday against the Hart Hawks.
Photos below from Valencia’s win over West Ranch:
