Cypress honors its seniors after Friday night’s game vs. Canyon. (PHOTOS: Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone).
Cypress High School’s boys basketball team used a stifling defense and an aggressive offensive attack in the second half to blow open a close game and defeat Canyon 82-62 in a Crestview League game Friday night at Cypress.
The Centurions (17-10, 3-4) outscored the Comanches 47-32 in the second half and kept their playoff chances alive. Both teams are tied for third place in league with one regular season game remaining. Cypress travels to Foothill on Tuesday while La Habra will host Canyon also on Tuesday.
“We went back to basic man-to-man and played locked down defense in the second half,” said Cypress Coach Derek Mitchell. “We need to win on Tuesday and have La Habra beat Canyon for us to make the playoffs. If we and Canyon both win on Tuesday, then we’ll have a play-in next week with Canyon at a neutral site to see who goes to the playoffs. I’m proud of the way our guys played tonight.”
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Centurions senior guard and Azusa Pacific commit Ryan Gov led all scorers with 23 points. Gov used his cat-like quickness to disrupt the Canyon defense in the second half. Ethan Mai and Gavin Kroll each added 18 points apiece to spark Cypress’ second half surge.
“Our defense got after it and our crowd gave us a lot of energy,” said Gov. “We showed what we can do when we trust each other.”
Leading 35-30 at halftime, Gov led a Cypress 15-5 run to start the third quarter.
Gov’s back-to-back steals led to quick baskets for the Centurions. Kroll’s layup following a Gov steal gave Cypress a 41-30 lead at the 6:55 mark of the third quarter. Moments later, Gov drilled a basket and then followed it with two free throws as Cypress upped its lead to 50-35 with 3:56 left in the period, much to the delight of the capacity crowd.
“It was a must-win game for the playoffs for us, and we played physical and executed great,” said Kroll, who combined with Gov to score 15 points in the third quarter as the Centurions outscored the Comanches 22-13 in the period and Cypress led 57-43 after three quarters. Kroll scored back-to-back baskets late in the quarter that set off a boisterous roar from the hometown crowd.
Canyon made a gallant effort to rally in the final quarter but each time they had a run, Mai came through with big buckets to counter their attack. Mai scored nine points in the final quarter, including a back-breaking 3-pointer with 2:32 to play that erased any comeback Canyon hopes.
“I’m not surprised how we played,” said Mai. “We practiced very physical this week, and we kept playing hard and aggressive.”
Centurions junior forward Tyrus Allen added:
“We rebounded well and executed and made shots and never let up,” said Allen, who made two key baskets midway through the final quarter.
Rami Awad and Nicholas Shorts combined to score 13 points in the opening quarter as Canyon took an 18-15 lead after the first period. Emmanuel Igbekoyi sank two 3-pointers and Kroll added two free throws and Gov made a last second basket to propel in the second quarter to give the Centurions a 35-30 lead at the break.
“They played harder and more physical than we did and we didn’t match them,” said Canyon Coach Nate Harrison. “They didn’t do anything we were surprised by; give them credit. We need to beat La Habra on Tuesday on and if Cypress beats Foothill we’ll have a play-in game just like we did last year. We would love the opportunity to play Cypress again.”
Awad and Shorts each scored 14 points to lead the Comanches. Bryson Taiulu-Allen hit three 3-pointers and added 13 points for Canyon.
NOTES:
—One of Canyon’s top players, Pierce Haugen, who leads the Comanches in field goal percentage, assists and is one of their top rebounders, missed his second consecutive game with the flu.
—Canyon defeated Cypress 66-62 on Jan.13.
—Last season Canyon defeated Cypress in a play-in game preventing the Centurions from reaching the playoffs.
—Harrison is in his 24th season as head coach of Canyon’s basketball team.
—-Cypress sophomore guard Terrence Hoang is still recovering from a concussion he suffered in practice and did not play.
—-Friday was senior night and seven Centurions seniors (Gavin Kroll, Seth Monney, Jonghoo Lee, Nikesh Patel, Ethan Mai, Emmanuel Igbekoyi, and Ryan Gov) were honored following the game.
—-Cypress fan-favorite Nikesh Patel entered the game late in the final quarter to a loud ovation from the crowd. When he sank a free throw in the final minute the crowd went wild and Patel acknowledged the crowd’s support with a wave to them.
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