Pioneers stay sharp despite 13-day layoff

Canyon Springs' boys basketball team hadn't taken the court in nearly two weeks.

But the Pioneers on Wednesday picked up right where they left off, jumping to a 20-4 lead and then hanging on for a 78-71 home win over Chaparral.

It was Canyon Springs' third straight win and fifth in six games. The Pioneers improved to 5-0 in Northeast League play.

Canyon Springs (13-3), which hadn't played since Jan. 7, also ended Chaparral's five-game winning streak, dropping the Cowboys (10-9) to 4-1 in league.

"It's huge to have a 13-day layoff and come back out with the energy we did," Canyon Springs coach Daryl Branham said. "I know both teams were anxious to get back on the floor and get back to playing again, but it's a huge win."

Curtis Stuckey capped the early run with a pair of steals for layups, and the Pioneers controlled the game for the entire first half.

Michael Thompson hit a 3-pointer with five seconds to go in the half to give Canyon Springs a 46-29 lead, but Chaparral's Bre Onta Griffin helped start a comeback with a 25-foot runner at the buzzer.

That basket started an 11-0 Chaparral run. Canyon Springs missed its first four shots of the second half, and the Cowboys cut the lead to 46-40 with 5:20 to go in the third quarter.

A basket by Donald Anderson ended the run and was one of many big shots for Canyon Springs' senior point guard. Anderson finished with 15 points, 10 in the second half. He also had four steals.

"He's sneaky like that," Branham said. "He stole two or three just from the inbounds pass alone. He's deceptively quick."

Chaparral trailed 60-47 after the third quarter but fought back again, closing to within 60-55 on a 3-pointer by Devonte White with 6:13 to play. But Stuckey hit a 3-pointer on the next possession, and Jared Brandon followed that with a fast-break dunk to give Canyon Springs control again.

Still, Chaparral showed how much it has improved since last season, when the Cowboys went 5-16 overall and won two league games, one by forfeit.

"There's no comparison," Branham said of Chaparral. "They've got a few kids that can really shoot the ball. They're very improved. Their kids are playing hard, and they're not rolling over. There's a reason they were 4-0 coming into this game."

Thompson had 19 points and six rebounds. Antonio Snow scored 16 and Stuckey 12 for Canyon Springs.

Griffin led Chaparral with 25 points, and White scored 10.

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