Sierra Canyon Claims State Title, Defeating Lincoln (Stockton) in Bryce James' Final Game

Sierra Canyon Claims State Title, Defeating Lincoln (Stockton) in Bryce James' Final Game

Sierra Canyon is once again a high school boys basketball state champion.

The Trailblazers mounted a late comeback to defeat Lincoln (Stockton) 58-53 in the CIF Division I state championship game on Friday, marking a perfect ending to the high school careers of 3-star seniors Gavin Hightower (Iona), Bryce Cofield, and Bryce James (Arizona).

This victory marks Sierra Canyon's fourth boys basketball state title and their first in six seasons with Bronny and/or Bryce James on the team. As expected, LeBron James was courtside to watch the action unfold.

Sierra Canyon had previously won a CIF Open Division Southern Region title in 2019-20 and were heavy favorites heading into the state championships, but those were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Friday’s game, Lincoln led early in what was largely a defensive battle. However, after a strong offensive outburst in the third quarter, Sierra Canyon flipped the script. Lincoln entered the second half with a 27-23 lead and scored the first basket of the third quarter before Sierra Canyon's offense began to click.

Hightower led the charge for Sierra Canyon in the first half, finishing the game with 15 points, nine rebounds, and four assists on 5-of-6 shooting. At halftime, he had scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, while the rest of his team struggled, making just 3-of-23 shots for a total of 13 points.

But as the game progressed, Cofield (11 points, eight rebounds), Maximo Adams (14 points, eight rebounds), and Stephen Kankole (10 points) found their rhythm in the third quarter.

James tied the game at 29 with a tough reverse layup at 5:21 in the third, and 90 seconds later, Hightower's free throw put Sierra Canyon ahead 32-31. The third quarter ended with a thrilling offensive flurry. Lincoln's senior point guard Donez Lindsey hit three deep, contested three-pointers to give the Trojans a 47-44 lead, electrifying the crowd.

As the game progressed into the final quarter, both teams slowed down, returning to a defensive pace. Sierra Canyon applied increased pressure with trapping defense and forced turnovers, while Lincoln’s zone defense effectively slowed down the Trailblazers' offense, which thrives at attacking the paint.

With 3:02 left in the game, a free throw from Lincoln's Jagger Merolla gave the Trojans a 50-47 lead. But Sierra Canyon quickly regained the lead at 51-50 on a deep three-pointer from Adams with 1:52 remaining.

Weber State commit Anthony Moore tied the game at 51 with a free throw at 1:31, but Lincoln couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity.

Cofield put Sierra Canyon ahead 53-51 with a crafty side-step layup at 1:02. The decisive moment came 45 seconds later when Hightower broke down Lincoln's defense and found Adams, who powered through his defender to finish a tough layup and convert the and-one opportunity.

With Lincoln trailing 56-51, Moore kept his team alive by hitting a spinning mid-range jumper with 8.8 seconds left, cutting the deficit to 56-53. But Sierra Canyon held steady, getting the ball to Adams, who made two free throws following an intentional foul, sealing the 58-53 victory.

Moore and Lindsey led Lincoln with 18 points and three assists each. Lindsey shot 6-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-4 from three, and added a game-high four steals. Moore also led the game with 11 rebounds and two steals.

Sierra Canyon, despite shooting just 4-of-24 from beyond the arc, dominated the boards, finishing with a 44-32 rebounding advantage.

In his final high school game, Bryce James contributed three points, five rebounds, and two assists. Despite a challenging shooting night (1-of-9 FG, 0-of-5 from three), he finished with a game-high plus-seven.

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