Kevin Legardy’s foul shots give Pioneers win over Desert Oasis
It was fitting that Monday’s boys basketball game between Canyon Springs and Desert Oasis was decided by free throws.
It also was fitting that it was Kevin Legardy to seal the win.
The senior guard hit two foul shots in the final five seconds to lead the Pioneers to a 76-74 road victory.
“We just played hard and didn’t let anything get to us, like all the foul calls,” Legardy said. “We didn’t let that get to our heads, because if we did, that probably would have made us corrupt and fall apart.”
Canyon Springs, which was whistled for 30 fouls, had a chance to fall apart when the Pioneers were called for a technical foul with 1:21 to go. Canyon Springs had the ball following a timeout when a reserve ran onto the court, giving the team six players on the floor.
Jacob Heese hit both technical shots, and Nate Van’s reverse layup with 57 seconds left gave the Diamondbacks a 74-72 lead.
“Everybody calmed down; our coaches calmed us down,” Legardy said. “The players didn’t let that get to our heads, because we knew we had more to fight and more to give.”
Knylen Miller-Levi hit two free throws with 25.3 seconds to play to tie the game, then came up with a steal to give the Pioneers the ball. Legardy attacked the basket with time running down and was fouled with 4.4 seconds to go.
He hit the first shot to make it 75-74 but missed the second. Miller-Levi kept the ball alive, and Legardy came up with the loose ball and was fouled with 0.5 seconds left. He hit 1 of 2 foul shots for the final margin.
Legardy finished with 30 points, six rebounds, six assists and eight steals.
“That’s what he’s supposed to do,” Canyon Springs coach Freddie Banks said. “He’s supposed to carry the load, because he knows what I expect of everybody, and he knows how to settle people down. He played well tonight.”
Heese had 22 points and nine rebounds to lead Desert Oasis, which was 18 for 22 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter and 36 for 44 for the game.
“That’s the only way they stayed in the game, was free throws,” Legardy said.
Contact prep sports editor Damon Seiters at dseiters@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4587. Follow @DamonSeiters on Twitter.
