High School

Sierra Canyon wins CIF State title with ‘will and want-to’, closing ‘James Era’ of glitz and glam

Sierra Canyon wins the program’s fourth CIF State title with LeBron James courtside to support Bryce James in his final game.

Tarek Fattal

LeBron James celebrates with his son Bryce after Sierra Canyon won the California (CIF) State Division 1 title at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
LeBron James celebrates with his son Bryce after Sierra Canyon won the California (CIF) State Division 1 title at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. / Photo by Todd Shurtleff

SACRAMENTO — For the past six years, Sierra Canyon has been synonymous with the James name.

Bronny James. Bryce James — the sons of LeBron James.

Each time the Trailblazers take the court, there’s dazzle. Hype. Magic — everyone wants a piece.

It’s like Hollywood. Cameras as far as the eye can see. A public frenzy for tickets. And from time to time, there was a Drake sighting. Kim Kardashian came to a game once — Michael B. Jordan, too.

In the James Era’s final game — with LeBron James sitting courtside — Sierra Canyon’s game required the exact opposite of dazzle, hype or magic.

”This game was all about will and want-to,” Sierra Canyon coach Andre Chevalier said.

Will and want-to isn’t sexy, and neither was Friday night’s game.

Sierra Canyon channeled grit, toughness and just enough ‘want-to’ to edge Stockton Lincoln 58-53 in the CIF State Division I final at the Golden 1 Center to cap the biggest spectacle high school basketball has ever seen.

Bryce Cofield scored the go-ahead basket to make it 53-51 with less than a minute to play before Maxi Adams converted an and-1 to put Sierra Canyon up 56-51 with 19 seconds to ice the game. Adams also made a much-needed 3-pointer to give the Trailblazers a 51-50 lead.

”My coaches tell me to keep shooting, so why not let it fly,” Adams said.

The seniors stepped up in the gritty win. Gavin Hightower led the way with 15 points and nine rebounds. Adams finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. Cofield had 11 points and eight rebounds.

Despite a rough night shooting for Bryce James (1 of 9 shooting for three points), the young teen was professional as can be after the victory — all team.

”My teammates are my brothers,” Bryce said. “They always pick me up. Even tonight, I wasn’t making shots … but I always have confidence in myself and so do my teammates.”

Sierra Canyon (27-7) wins its first CIF State title since 2019, which was the second leg of back-to-back Open Division titles. Bronny was a freshman when Sierra Canyon was eyeing a third straight, but the pandemic canceled the CIF State championships.

“He should’ve had one in 2020, so I say it’s 1-1 now,” Bryce said about having bragging rights over his brother.

To put it bluntly: the game was ugly. It was choppy. The two teams combine to shoot 48 free throws. Neither team shot free throws well, either. Sierra Canyon was 20 of 30 and Lincoln was 11 of 18.

”There wasn’t a lot of great flow tonight. There was a lot of whistles being blown,” Chevalier said.

Sierra Canyon shot 32% from the field (17 of 52), just 66% from the free throw line, dealt with 16 lead changes and nine ties.

“We’re physical,” Chevalier said. “We touch. So when a game gets to a place where we aren’t allowed to touch, we have to make adjustments.”

Adjustments in Friday night’s game were a microcosm of Sierra Canyon’s season. Players were hurt. Players left. Yet, Chevalier masterfully tweaked with lineups and strategies to earn what is likely the most rewarding state title he’s ever captured.

”This is the best coaching job I’ve ever done,” he said.

Lincoln’s Donez Lindsey and Anthony Moore each scored 18 points in the loss.

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Tarek Fattal, SBLive Sports
TAREK FATTAL

Tarek Fattal has been covering high school sports since 2015 in Southern California and primarily in Los Angeles, covering notable athletes such as Bronny James, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Alyssa Thompson. He was with the LA Daily News for eight years, which included being the beat reporter for the UCLA men's basketball team. Tarek can be seen on TV regularly on CBS/KCAL as a sports analyst with Jim Hill.

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