Sierra Canyon boys and girls basketball each face familiar foe in Open Division regional final – Daily News

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From one rematch to another.

The San Fernando Valley wanted to see Sierra Canyon versus Harvard-Westlake. We got spoiled and got the matchup twice. The most recent resulting in a 72-55 Sierra Canyon win Saturday night.

Now, we’re getting the boys basketball rematch Southern California wants.

Third-seeded Sierra Canyon will travel to No. 1 Corona Centennial for the CIF State Open Division regional final at 6 pm Tuesday night in a rematch of last season’s CIF Southern Section Open Division final when the Huskies topped Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth 80-72.

“They’re a very good team,” Sierra Canyon sophomore Isaiah Elohim said. “They move the ball well; they play defense well. But if we stick to doing what we do well, and play defense, we can win.”

If the Trailblazers (26-4) play like they did Saturday night, they’re capable of toppling Corona Centennial (31-1) and advancing to the program’s fourth CIF State Open Division final in Sacramento this weekend. In the win over Harvard-Westlake, Sierra Canyon’s defense was more traditional than opposed to the all-game press we’ve seen this season. An 11-man rotation was down to eight key players with a ninth that played small minutes.

The rhythm, the flow, the energy was obvious, and so was the fun.

However, it won’t be easy. The Huskies are a well-oiled machine led by 5-star guard Jared McCain, shifty Donovan Dent and 6-foot-9 forward Devin Williams, which led the team to a second consecutive CIF-SS Open Division title Feb. 25 with a convincing win over Harvard-Westlake.

Sierra Canyon girls get another shot at Etiwanda

Sierra Canyon (28-2) claimed revenge over the weekend with a 63-62 win over La Jolla Country Day Saturday night, avenging an earlier season 73-71 loss, that helped them to advance to the girls CIF State Open Division regional final Tuesday night against Etiwanda at 8 pm

It’s a rematch of the CIF Southern Section Open Division final Feb. 26. Juju Watkins fouled out in the fourth quarter and Etiwanda stormed to an eventual 69-57 win.

“I’ll never foul out again,” Watkins said this past week, who scored 23 points in the regional semifinal win.

Sierra Canyon is 1-4 all-time against Etiwanda, and is winless in the last three meetings, which have all been in the postseason.