Sierra Canyon girls dealt stunning loss by Sage Hill in CIF regional semifinals
CHATSWORTH — Just a week ago, Sierra Canyon senior guard Delaney White drilled a crucial 3-pointer to give the team the lead late in the CIF-SS Open Division final.
She did the same thing Saturday night, drilling a 3-pointer to give her team the lead late in the fourth quarter against Sage Hill in the semifinals of the CIF Southern California Open Division Regional semifinals.
But then, with just five seconds left on the clock and no timeouts, the ball found her hands again. With a chance to tie the score with a 3-pointer, her shot clanked off the rim as the buzzer sounded.
Screams of celebration erupted, only as it wasn’t Sierra Canyon’s team celebrating this time – it was the opponent.
No. 4-seeded Sage Hill upset top-seeded Sierra Canyon 57-54 to move on to the CIF SoCal Regional final.
“I believe in her (Delaney),” Sierra Canyon senior guard Jerzy Robinson said. “She’s, if not, the greatest, one of the greatest shooters in California, in the senior class. (Delaney) makes that shot 10 times out of 10 times … I had trust in her.”
Sage Hill will play at Ontario Christian in the regional final Tuesday night.
The game Saturday started badly for the Trailblazers. They missed their first 14 shots from the field.
Robinson ended the cold streak by drilling a 3-pointer that spurred a 20-5 run by Sierra Canyon.
The run gave Sierra Canyon a nine-point lead in the second quarter.
Robinson finished with 26 points and made multiple crucial shots down the stretch.
Robinson fouled out with under 20 seconds remaining, so she wasn’t on the court for the last Sierra Canyon shot.
“I wouldn’t have fouled if it was in the front of my mind,” Robinson said of getting her fifth foul. “That’s where you put your trust and your faith in your teammates … We’ve had adversity prior in the year. We know what that feels like.”
The Trailblazers went into halftime with an eight-point lead.
It seemed that they were in control of the game, but a 20-9 run in the third quarter by Sage Hill turned the game’s momentum.
Lightning senior guard Amalia Holguin led her team with 26 points and made two crucial free throws late in the game to put her team up by three points.
Even with Robinson playing here tightly, Holguin made shots throughout the contest.
Robinson said she had the same mindset on defense that she had a week ago while guarding Ontario Christian’s Kaleena Smith.
“Control their strengths,” Robinson said. “That’s what it is. They’re great players, whether it be Kaleena or Amalia. They’re great players. So control their strengths and handle our business on our side.”
It was a tough loss to swallow for the Trailblazers, but Robinson made it clear the team was special.
“I have excess joy coming out here and seeing you guys, suit up with you guys every single day for practice,” Robinson said, recalling her comments to her teammates at practice Friday night. “And they made my year. No amount of rings, plaques, championships, whatever, amounts to the relationships and the love I have for all of them.”