Sports

Sierra Canyon Is Red-Hot in Basketball

Chatsworth Sports Notebook: The Chancellors are two wins shy of a state championship in Div. V; Chatsworth's baseball team is coming off a win in the Easton tourney final.

Sierra Canyon is on the verge of a state championship in basketball – a very rare feat, as only three San Fernando Valley-area schools have ever accomplished the feat.

All the Trailblazers have to do is the win the next two, starting Saturday with the Southern California Regional Div. V championship against St. Bernard at Colony High in Ontario. The tipoff is 3 p.m., and the regional final is the last qualifier for the state finals March 25 at 1:30 p.m. at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

But it won’t be easy. Sierra Canyon, led by high-scoring Jahmel Taylor, has won seven playoff games, including the Div. V-A title, but on Saturday the Trailblazers face a tough St. Bernard opponent led by forward Brandon Randolph and guard Thurman Thompson, two of the best in the South Bay.

Find out what's happening in Northridge-Chatsworthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Both teams love to shoot the ball from the outside, but defense could be the key.

“We’re all about defense,” Sierra Canyon coach Ryan Silver said. “If you don’t play hard defense, you don’t play. That’s the way it goes on this team.”

Find out what's happening in Northridge-Chatsworthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Silver and Morris are both first-year coaches, as Silver arrived after a successful stint at Rolling Hills Prep, and Morris comes from Leuzinger in Lawdale, where he made the state playoffs last year.

“Obviously, we know how important this game is. I think we’ll start feeling the pressure come Saturday,” Sierra Canyon junior Jesse Howell said. “I mean, just to play in Arco Arena for the state title would really be something, and this game is standing in our way. We have to take care of this game.”

Taylor averages 21.6 points and said that “it’s always been a dream to win a state championship.” He’ll have to shoot the ball well for Sierra Canyon to have a good chance, because the sophomore transfer from Notre Dame is the Trailblazers’ go-to guy.

It will also be important for Taylor and freshmen Marsalis Johnson and Bryan Alberts to keep their poise even though they’re so young. There’s no choice because they’re the team’s three key starters.

Michael Cohen, a four-year varsity member who has returned after missing most of this season with a shoulder injury, wants to go out with a bang.

“This was our goal from the beginning of the season, and with it being my last year, I really want to take it as far as we can go,” Cohen said.

CHATSWORTH BASEBALL TEAM HOT FROM START

Chatsworth’s baseball team is a nine-time City Section champion – the most section baseball titles among any school in the San Fernando Valley – and the Chancellors are off to another good start with a 5-1 record heading into a game Saturday at 11 a.m. against visiting Thousand Oaks.

Chatsworth’s biggest win of the young season was an 8-5 victory Saturday over Valencia in the championship game of the large-scale Easton tournament. The key was Ryan Escobar’s three-run triple, as Chatsworth came back from being down 5-0 in the fifth inning.

Steven Karkenny pitched two shutout innings of relief to earn the win. Tim Han, Aaron Brown and Jared Holley all had three hits.

“It was great to see where we’re at mentally because early in the game, things didn’t go our way,” Brown said. “We weren’t hitting well at first, but we pulled it out in the end. We were down, but we realized there was a lot more of the game left to play.”

Karkenny, Brown and Rodriguez are all top pitchers who can also hit the ball well.

“Angel is doing really well. He’s throwing the ball well, a lot of strikes,” Brown said. “He’s going right at hitters. He has stepped up, and he’s a big part of the staff this year.”

The staff is working with a new catcher, Hayden Tsutsui, who is doing a fine job.

“Hayden is really aggressive back there. He works hard, and it’s great to have him back there,” Brown said.

Tsutsui’s development has allowed fellow catcher Ricky Obando, an excellent hitter, to move into the DH spot, giving Chatsworth another bat in a lineup that’s already well-fortified.

Chatsworth is still missing pitcher Christian Lopez, a hard-throwing right-hander who is still working his arm into shape.  Lopez is slated to do some bullpen pitching this coming week.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here