Pioneers’ quick start fuels tourney victory

Canyon Springs boys basketball coach Daryl Branham said his team is fond of fast starts.

The Pioneers looked like sprinters coming out of the starting blocks Tuesday at the Foothill Holiday Classic.

Canyon Springs rocketed to a 16-2 lead less than four minutes into the game on the way to a 77-53 win over Redondo Union (Calif.) in the Gold Division semifinals.

"We preach to the kids that we have to come out of the gates early and put pressure on a team to get back on defense and play," Pioneers coach Daryl Branham said.

Canyon Springs faces Salpointe (Ariz.) for the tournament title at 7:40 tonight at Foothill. Salpointe lost 67-55 to Melbourne 1 (Australia) in the other semifinal. But the Australian team has to catch a flight, so Salpointe will play for the title instead.

With their high-pressure defense leading the way, the Pioneers often resembled sprinters as they raced up and down the court following turnovers.

Canyon Springs forced 10 turnovers in the first half, turning them into 13 points and the early lead.

Senior guard Michael Thompson, who has signed with Boise State, had 11 points in the game, and nine came early on as he knocked down three 3-pointers, the last of which gave Canyon Springs a 24-9 lead with 9:35 remaining in the first half.

"That's part of our fast start," Branham said. "Mike is Mike. He kind of had a rough day yesterday shooting the ball, but he's going to bounce back."

After Thompson's fast start, senior forward Jared Brandon took over. Brandon finished with 23 points, nine rebounds and three assists.

"I've been telling everybody that Jared's kind of a sleeper, and he's showing what he can do," Branham said. "We know he has that potential and that capability, and it's coming out.

The 6-foot-5-inch Brandon scored in a variety of ways: running the floor on the fast break, posting up and driving the ball relentlessly to the basket.

"He likes to go to the basket, he likes to draw the contact and he likes to go to the free-throw line," Branham said. "He's working hard and he's being aggressive both offensively and defensively."

Marquon Webster and Trey Evans each added 12 points and Chris Willis scored 11 for the Pioneers, who had only eight turnovers in the game.

Contact Prep Sports Editor Damon Seiters at dseiters@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4587.