Sierra Canyon boys basketball blows past Santa Margarita in Open quarterfinals
CHATSWORTH — Sierra Canyon boys basketball coach Andre Chevalier saw something in Santa Margarita’s defense.
Within seconds, he screamed a play call from the sideline and his team took action in the Trailblazers’ 70-47 win over the Eagles in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs.
Trailblazers sophomore guard JJ Sati-Grier threw the ball to senior forward Brannon Martinsen on the far side elbow. Martinsen jumped up and, in mid-air, tapped the ball to senior forward Maxi Adams, who was wide open in the corner. Adams immediately took the 3-point shot and drilled it.
Those play calls came in all night from the Sierra Canyon sideline – no matter the score.
Up by 24 with 2:30 left to play, Chevalier took a timeout. The play out of the timeout led to a wide-open lane for Martinsen to dunk against the Eagles (27-5).
“It’s been working ever since we’ve been doing it,” Adams said about trusting his head coach. “So it’s just the level of trust that we have in him. He’s gonna make the right decisions every single time.”
Chevalier screamed at his team. He gave a confused look every time the referees blew their whistle for 32 minutes. His team went on a 26-6 run that opened up the game for Sierra Canyon (25-1).
“It was about the team and just how hard they played today,” Chevalier said. “They played together today. It was just wonderful to watch them. This is the best game we’ve played all year. They not only played hard, they played smart, and that’s what we’ve been looking for.”
Chevalier has trust in his entire roster. He has McDonald’s All-Americans at his disposal, like Adams and senior guard Brandon McCoy. At times, you can’t even tell they’re the stars of the team. It’s the unselfishness both play with, and both understand when it’s their time to take over games.
The second-half run was fueled by trust and Sierra Canyon’s depth.
Trailblazers senior guard DeLan Grant drew a foul on Santa Margarita senior forward Drew Anderson. Grant screamed with passion as he sat on the floor with the crowd cheering for his defensive effort.
The Trailblazers scored on the ensuing offensive possession, launching a 9-0 run in the third quarter that would eventually turn into a 26-6 run.
“We’re not only deep, but we trust each other,” Chevalier said. “So it allows our depth to be like, you know, continuous, and our pressure to be continuous, and that’s what we’re looking for.”
Sierra Canyon will play Notre Dame on Tuesday night in the semifinals of the Open Division. The two teams met once in Mission League play.
The Trailblazers won by a four-point margin, 78-74.