Sierra Canyon had quite the performance over the final three minutes of Tuesday's California Open Division southern final against Etiwanda. The Trailblazers erased an 11-point deficit over that stretch to come away with a 63-61 win. With the victory, Sierra Canyon advances to the California state final.
Senior Ziaire Williams knocked down the game-winning shot at the buzzer and ended up scoring 19 points. This gives the Trailblazers their third consecutive state championship game appearance and a chance to win their third consecutive state title.
"That shot is my go-to," Williams told the Los Angeles Daily News. "My dribble pull up, going to my left. I just let it fly."
Sierra Canyon scored the game's final 13 points as they trailed 61-50 with less than three minutes remaining.
Brandon Boston Jr., who is headed to Kentucky next year, scored a game-high 26 points. In addition, Boston Jr. scored seven consecutive points during Sierra Canyon's late surge. He even knocked down the game-tying three that knotted things up at 61.
Sierra Canyon are 30-4 this season thanks in large part to the contributions of Bronny James and Zaire Wade. They made their playoff debuts earlier in the week and neither heavily influenced the outcome of this contest.
This marks the third time this season that Sierra Canyon defeated Etiwanda, who also had 30 wins entering Tuesday's contest.
The Trailblazers will face the winner of the northern regional final between Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) and Sheldon (Sacramento), which will be played on Thursday. The state title game will be played on Saturday at the Golden 1 Center, which is the home of the Sacramento Kings.
