Late Basket Delivers Payback for Canyons

VALENCIA — Rahsard Walker’s 14-foot, off-balance jump shot with one second to play lifted Canyons to a 79-77 victory over Antelope Valley in the championship game of the Canyons tournament Monday night.

Lifted being the operative word.

The victory was the third in a row for the Cougars (6-8) and first over talented Antelope Valley (11-6) in more than three years.

Antelope Valley had won the tournament championship each of the past three seasons, twice defeating the Cougars in the final. Moreover, the Marauders, ranked ninth in the state, defeated Canyons, 84-70, in a nonconference game in November.

“We weren’t going to let them walk all over us this time,” Walker said.

Yet, it hardly was a cakewalk for Canyons, which won its own tournament for the first time since 1991.

The Cougars squandered a seven-point lead late in the first half and trailed, 35-32, at intermission. Canyons turned a see-saw second half into a 66-56 lead with seven minutes to play but still couldn’t hold the lead.

John Burrell’s three-point basket from the corner with six seconds to play pulled Antelope Valley even. With the clock ticking, Canyons quickly worked the ball to Walker, who didn’t hold it long.

“When I let it go, a feeling went through my body,” Walker said. “I knew it was going in. I started jumping before it went in.”

Walker’s offering from the lane barely beat the buzzer.

“I was thinking about a timeout, but he wasn’t looking at me,” Canyons Coach Lee Smelser said. “It’s a rewarding win. We needed one back from them.”

Burrell, a sophomore guard who has signed with Nevada and is ranked among the top 25 junior college players in the nation, finished with 17 points after being held to seven in the first half.

Burrell made a fadeaway jump shot and two driving baskets in three consecutive possessions to pull the Marauders to within 72-69 with less than two minutes to play.

“I thought I was fouled,” Burrell said of his final basket. “But I ain’t worrying about it.”

Point guard Trevor Beal led Antelope Valley with 18 points, including four three-point baskets. Beal’s three-pointer with 1:04 to play narrowed Canyons’ lead to 74-72.

Two free throws by Bryan Finley with 38 seconds to play gave Canyons a 76-72 lead. An uncontested layup by Beal and another free throw by Finley set the stage for the finale.

Finley, who scored 25 points, was selected the tournament’s most valuable player. Teammates Woodley Polynice and Moses Lindsey also were all-tournament selections.