Canyon beats Barbers Hill by 27 points to advance to the Class 5A girls state final.
SAN ANTONIO – Canyon doesn’t have a future McDonald’s All-American on its roster or multiple former players headlining college powerhouses.
This year’s version barely passes the eyeball test — the roster of 16 only shows one player taller than 6 feet.
When it comes to Canyon, however, none of that matters. Opponents have been bigger and faster, but the bulk of Canyon’s 18 championships in 27 state tournament appearances have come on playing defense and working harder.
That was the case in the Eagles’ 66-39 victory over Barbers Hill in the first Class 5A state semifinal Friday at the Alamodome.
“They’re not overwhelmed at all by being here,” Canyon coach Joe Lombard said. “This is our goal.”
Canyon (30-3) is one win away from a fourth consecutive state title.
The Eagles will face Mansfield Timberview (37-2), which beat Corpus Christi Flour Bluff 66-41 Thursday night, in Saturday’s final.
Barbers Hill, which made its sixth state appearance but first since 2012, ends its season at 34-5.
After trading baskets on the opening two possessions, it was all Canyon. The Eagles quickly forced three turnovers and scored 11 straight points.
“We wanted to win, so you can’t fault the effort,” Barbers Hill coach Tri Danley said. “But you do one thing and another player does another thing and then it’s a snowball.”
Angel Hayden led Canyon with 29 points before coming out with the starters midway through the fourth.
On the other end, she led a defense that cut off passing lanes on the perimeter and challenged Carli Collier, the Barbers Hill star junior and Connecticut commit. Canyon forced 24 turnovers and held Barbers Hill to 37 percent shooting.
Collier had 22 points and 11 rebounds for Barbers Hill to go with seven turnovers. No other Barbers Hill player scored more than seven.
“I’ve honestly never seen a defense like that,” said senior Jaclyn Dobson, who missed her only shot attempt.