For the first time ever in Canyon boys’ basketball history, the Cowboys have secured a win in the California Interscholastic Federation state playoffs with an 83-66 victory over the Franklin Panthers of Los Angeles in the Division 5 bracket.
“It’s the first state win for our boys and the program, and I’m very proud,” Canyon head coach Ali Monfared said. “Our guys played really hard, and they bought into what we were trying to get done and I was just really proud of their effort, and their energy.”
After the win, Monfared said that he’s proud of his team for not letting the loss in the Southern Section semifinals affect the team going into the state playoffs.
In the Division 7 Southern Section semifinals, the Cowboys lost in overtime to the Salesian Mustangs of Los Angeles at home.
Monfared added that the loss really hurt in the moment but said the team responded in a mature way and came out to practice the next week ready to hit the ground running.
“We took the weekend off, and then we met on Monday, and you know when you coach long enough, you’re going to lose some tough games and you’re going to win some big games,” Monfared said. “I think this week represented a lot of growth that we were able to work on a lot of new things.”
Senior guard Isaac Yuhico led the Cowboys in scoring with 26 points after only playing in three quarters.
Yuhico did not play in the fourth quarter as Monfared said the team had a manageable lead and wanted to get his senior rest.
Josiah Toledo, who scored 17 points in the win, was second on the team in scoring behind Yuhico.
With the win, the Cowboys will host their second round matchup on Thursday as the team is the third seed in the Division 5 bracket.
The Cowboys are scheduled to host the visiting Victor Valley Jackrabbits of Victorville.
The Jackrabbits defeated the Edgewood Lions of West Covina 72-55 and have already matched up with the Cowboys earlier in the season.
In November, the Cowboys and Jackrabbits played in a tournament, with Canyon winning in convincing fashion, 74-49.
Monfared added that despite the win earlier in the season, he’s not taking the Jackrabbits for granted and will be watching new film on the team.
“We played them earlier this year. But I know they have a couple of new guys, so we’re going to watch some of their more recent games,” he said.
Until then, Monfared is excited to get back on the court with his team as he believes his Cowboys are hungry and added that the loss to Salesian really left the team wanting to achieve more.
The Cowboys will host their second-ever state playoff game on Thursday with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. at Canyon High School.
“We’re playing basketball in March and that’s a really big honor,” Monfared said. “We’re going to do everything we can to maximize it. No matter how the games go, the results, I can’t emphasize again how proud I am of our group.”
