Hot-shooting Canyon basketball team overwhelms Buena Park

This season’s Canyon boys basketball team looks like a typical Canyon team of the past several years.

The Comanches hustle on defense, rarely get out-run in transition, and are very unselfish on offense.

They showed all of those attributes Wednesday in an 88-57 win over Buena Park in a nonleague game at Canyon High.

Buena Park’s Michael Macias blocks a pass in the lane during his game against Canyon at Canyon High School in Anaheim, CA on Wednesday, January 3, 2018. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Canyon’s Sean Githens scrambles for a loose ball against Buena Park’s Elijah Jones-Church during their game at Canyon High in Anaheim on Wednesday, January 3, 2018. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Canyon’s Sean Githens scrambles for a loose ball against Buena Park’s Elijah Jones-Church during their game at Canyon High in Anaheim on Wednesday, January 3, 2018. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Buena Park’s Zeshare Watkins drives the lane during his game against Canyon at Canyon High in Anaheim on Wednesday, January 3, 2018. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Canyon’s Jeremy Corson goes after a loose ball during his game against Buena Park at Canyon High School in Anaheim, CA on Wednesday, January 3, 2018. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Buena Park’s Zeshare Watkins drives on Canyon’s Justin Williams during their game at Canyon High in Anaheim on Wednesday, January 3, 2018. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Buena Park’s Elijah Jones-Church puts a move on Canyon’s Justin Williams during their game at Canyon High in Anaheim on Wednesday, January 3, 2018. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Buena Park’s Cameron Dashiell dives after a loose ball during his game against Canyon at Canyon High in Anaheim on Wednesday, January 3, 2018. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)22
Canyon fans cheer a shot by Michael Deangelo in the second half of their game against Buena Park at Canyon High in Anaheim on Wednesday, January 3, 2018. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Buena Park’s Cameron Dashiell drives on Canyon’s Lucas Holden in the first half of their game in Anaheim on Wednesday, January 3, 2018. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Canyon’s Justin Williams takes off down the court during his game against Buena Park at Canyon High in Anaheim on Wednesday, January 3, 2018. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Buena Park’s Cameron Dashiell drives on Canyon’s Justin Williams in the first half of their game in Anaheim on Wednesday, January 3, 2018. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Canyon’s Jeremy Corson goes after a loose ball during his game against Buena Park at Canyon High School in Anaheim, CA on Wednesday, January 3, 2018. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Buena Park head coach Damian Farmer makes his point during his game against Canyon on Wednesday, January 3, 2018. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Canyon head coach Nate Harrison cheers on his team during his game against Buena Park at Canyon High in Anaheim, CA on Wednesday, January 3, 2018. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Canyon fans cheer a shot by Michael Deangelo in the second half of their game against Buena Park at Canyon High in Anaheim on Wednesday, January 3, 2018. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Buena Park’s Kevyn Scott chases after a ball during his game against Canyon at Canyon High in Anaheim. in Anaheim, CA on Wednesday, January 3, 2018. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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The Comanches are 15-1 and, at No. 3, the top-ranked public school team in the Orange County top 10. They are No. 1 in CIF-Southern Section Division 2-AA.

Canyon’s AJ Perry, a 5-foot-8 point guard, scored a game-high 20 points. Perry, MVP of the Orange Holiday Classic tournament that the Comanches won last week, was 6 for 10 on 3-point shots.

Matt Williams, a 6-4 senior guard, scored 18 for Canyon, all on 3 pointers. He was 6 for 7 on 3-pointers. Jeremy Corson and Justin Williams added nine points each for the Comanches.

Buena Park (9-7), battling injury issues Wednesday as it has all season, was paced by Kevyn Scott’s 18 points and Cameron Dashiell’s 16.

The first shot of the game was a Perry 3-pointer that put Canyon ahead to stay. The Comanches led by 10 points at the end of the first quarter, by 24 at halftime and by 38 at the end of the third quarter.

Just like Canyon’s CIF-SS championship teams of 2009, 2014 and ’15, the Comanches made all of the correct decisions – taking the open shot when it was there, and if it was not there the Comanches worked it around to a teammate who had the better opportunity.

“I like the way we shared the ball,” said Perry after the game. “This was just a great game for our team.”

And it’s so far, so good in the view of Canyon coach Nate Harrison.

“At this point of the year,” Harrison said, “I’m happy where we’re at. We’re just trying to get better.”

In other nonleague games:

Beckman 61, Tustin 55: Dylan Thoerner’s 22 points led the visiting Patriots (7-8).

Yorba Linda 56, Great Oak of Temecula 43: Jake Miller scored 24 points for the victorious Mustangs (8-10).

In the Antelope Valley Tournament:

Saddleback Valley Christian 55, Buena of Ventura 46: Jonah Tolmarie scored 23 points and Jordan Taylor, a 6-10 senior center, added 18 for the Warriors (9-3).

In the Academy League:

St. Margaret’s 80, Brethren Christian 22: Sophomore Will Kenner’s 20 points paced the visiting Tartans (6-10).

Hot-shooting Canyon basketball team overwhelms Buena Park

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