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Roosevelt boys basketball team edges Sierra Canyon, keeps Open Division title chances alive – San Bernardino Sun

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EASTVALE — There are few, if any, aspects of the game Roosevelt boys basketball coach Stephen Singleton values more than trust.

Singleton trusted Brayden Burries to sink the free throws and also that his players would follow up by getting one more defensive stop.

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Sierra Canyon’s Maximo Adams attacks the basket during a CIF Southern Section Open Division boys basketball pool-play game against Roosevelt on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

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Those things came to fruition.

Burries’ free throws gave Roosevelt the lead with 12.2 seconds left on the clock, and Sierra Canyon’s Bryce James missed a 3-pointer from the corner in the closing seconds as the Mustangs escaped with a 65-64 victory over Sierra Canyon in front of a standing-room Friday night.

The win keeps alive Roosevelt’s quest to reach the CIF Southern Open Division championship game for the second straight season. The Mustangs (30-2) host St. John Bosco (26-5) in the final pool-play game Tuesday, with the winner advancing to face Sherman Oaks Notre Dame for the Open Division title.

Friday’s victory took plenty of determination and trust by the Mustangs, who trailed by as many as 13 points during the opening half.

“It takes belief and trust that the boys have in me and that I have in them,” Singleton said. “And I trust them with everything because they’ve worked so hard for this. They want it, and it takes a whole team effort to win game like this one tonight. You just can’t lose that trust.”

Burries and Williamson knocked down 3-pointers in the opening minute, but Roosevelt proceeded to miss its next 13 shots from the field.

Sierra Canyon (22-7) took advantage and went on a 21-5 run over a 7-minute span between the first and second quarters. James sank a pair of 3-pointers during the stretch, and the second one gave the Trailblazers a 24-11 advantage with 6:13 left to intermission.

Roosevelt trimmed the deficit to eight at the break and opened the second half with a 10-0 run to take its first lead since 6-3.

It was a battle from there. There were eight lead changes over the final 14 minutes of the game and neither side led by more than four points.

Myles Walker had a rough shooting night (1 for 11) earlier in the week against Redondo and made only 1 for 5 attempts from the field during the first half Friday. But the senior point guard suddenly caught fire and scored 10 points in the third quarter and 15 in the second half.

“I knew I had to do more for my team. We really needed a lift,” said Walker, who finished with 17 points, six assists and three steals.

Unlike Redondo earlier in the week, Sierra Canyon answered back. Bryce Cofield and Jayden Alexander combined to score 12 points in the third quarter to make sure Roosevelt didn’t break away. Cofield’s basket with 24 seconds on the clock tied things at 48 heading to the fourth period.

Things looked a bit bleak for Roosevelt when defensive stopper Issac Williamson picked up his fourth foul with 3 1/2 minutes remaining in the third period. Williamson returned in the fourth, scored a pair of crucial baskets for the Mustangs and finished with 14 points.

Maximo Adams scored a game-high 19 points for Sierra Canyon, and he gave the Trailblazers a a 61-57 lead with 2:57 left on the clock. Walker scored on a layup to halve the deficit, then he drove and dished to Dominic Copenhagen for a layup that tied things up with 1:58 to play.

Gavin Hightower scored and was fouled with 1:11 remaining, but he was not able to make the free throw and extend Sierra Canyon’s lead. Williamson answered back for Roosevelt just a few seconds later, as he muscled his way into the paint and scored on a reverse layup.

Cofield was fouled on the subsequent possession and made 1 of 2 from the line to help the Trailblazers regain the lead. Sierra Canyon made only 15 of 25 attempts from the free-throw line Friday, and the Trailblazers missed 5 of 7 from the stripe in the fourth quarter.



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