Sierra Canyon girls basketball keeps rolling, blows past Oak Park

CHATSWORTH — Sierra Canyon’s tear through the regular season continued with another win on Saturday.

The Trailblazers (24-2, 9-0) took down visiting Oak Park 73-46, notching their sixth win in a row, and doing so against a potential playoff opponent.

The CIF’s power rankings have both teams ranked third and fourth in the Southern Section, with the Trailblazers being third, so Sierra Canyon coach Alicia Komaki knows these two teams could play again in a few weeks.

“We treated this as a playoff game,” Komaki said. “It probably will be a playoff game in a week or two. So I just love the environment, the energy we brought, maybe not the focus to start the game, but it’s about two halves in basketball and we played a very good second half.”

Senior Jerzy Robinson led Sierra Canyon with 29 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

Robinson, a South Carolina commit, only scored one bucket in the first quarter. The senior guard scored all 13 of the Trailblazers’ third-quarter points, outscoring the Eagles (17-7, 6-0) by herself.

Sierra Canyon pulled away in the second quarter after a slower start but closed out the game with a 26-11 fourth-quarter split.

“We had minor adjustments, but to be honest, they were in foul trouble, so I think that hurt them and helped us,” Komaki said. “We’re a high-powered offense, so it’s hard to stop us and continue to score and do all those things and take away all the different ways we can score the ball, but I’m very happy with our defense in the second half.”

The lead returned to the Trailblazers early in the second quarter with a strong Robinson finish at the rim, drawing a foul. Robinson then made another 3-point play later in the quarter.

Oak Park was led by Maya Deshautelle with 18 points and five rebounds. The team also got boosts from UCSB commit Karisma Lewis with 13 points and sophomore Maya Urteaga, who added three-straight runners in the key to start the third quarter.

Robinson’s third-quarter scoring frenzy came from everywhere between the free-throw line and the perimeter.

“My teammates understand my strengths,” Robinson said. “They give me the ball where I need it, and so it’s all the credit to them. They threw some great passes, set me up on screens. Delaney had great screens. Jordan has great passes. They do a great job of setting me up so I can succeed.”

Sierra Canyon’s Delaney White had 12 points and three rebounds against her former team, for which she raised a CIF banner last year.

The senior added a wild chase-down block in transition after initially appearing nowhere near the Eagle layup.

Robinson has mulled her next steps for some time, but committed to the Gamecocks last month.

“I prayed about it, asked for discernment, prayed to the Lord, fasted, asked for guidance and stuff like that,” Robinson said. “And then I went on my visit, they treated me like I was already there, like I belong there, and I had peace there with Coach Dawn (Staley). It’s gonna be amazing to work with South Carolina across my chest and play with those amazing group of girls.”

Oak Park got off to a great start in the first quarter as the Eagles flew down the court for some quick transition points while also flocking to the boards for numerous early offensive rebounds.

Sierra Canyon responded with a 9-0 run, ending some early offensive struggles.

“This was a super big test, so scout preparation was super important for us,” Robinson said. “High Intensity. This was like a mimic of a playoff game. So coming in here with the right focus, the right mentality, choosing our team, to make sure we get the win at the end of the day.”

Oak Park will look to bounce back on Tuesday against Camarillo. The Eagles are already Coastal Canyon League champs for the fourth straight year, but can clinch an outright title with a win over the Scorpions. The Trailblazers close out the regular season Tuesday with a home Mission League battle against Harvard-Westlake.

“I think we’re confident in each other and ourselves, but we know what the goal is,” Robinson said of the playoffs. “We have to play our best basketball every time we step on the court, and we know that to get the job done.”