Paramount girls basketball falls to Canyon in Division 2AA playoffs
PARAMOUNT – The season came to an end for the Paramount girls basketball team Saturday night with an emotional 56-41 loss to Canyon High of Canyon Country in a CIF-SS Division 2AA second-round playoff matchup.
It was a wire-to-wire loss for Paramount (16-8), which fell behind from the onset of the game and was never able to get into any rhythm offensively.
Canyon took control early and never relinquished it as they led the Pirates by as many as 17 points in the first half.
Players for Canyon High of Canyon Country celebrate their victory over Paramount in a CIF-SS Division 2AA girls basketball playoff game at Paramount High Saturday, February 11, 2023.
(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Players for Canyon High of Canyon Country celebrate their victory over Paramount in a CIF-SS Division 2AA girls basketball playoff game at Paramount High Saturday, February 11, 2023.
(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Paramount’s Morgan Clay (0) is fouled on a drive to the basket during a CIF-SS girls basketball playoff game at Paramount High on Saturday, February 11, 2023.
(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Canyon Country’s Jade Sims (11) goes up for a basket in second quarter of a CIF-SS girls basketball playoff game against Paramount at Paramount High School on Saturday, February 11, 2023.
(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Paramount’s Morgan Clay (0) is fouled on a drive to the basket during a CIF-SS girls basketball playoff game at Paramount High on Saturday, February 11, 2023.
(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Paramount’s Kaylani Polk (1) drives to the basket against Canyon High of Country High in a CIF-SS Division 2AA girls basketball playoff game at Paramount High Saturday, February 11, 2023.
(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Paramount’s Morgan Clay (0) drives to the basket against Canyon High of Canyon Country in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 2AA girls basketball playoffs at home on Saturday, February 11, 2023.
(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Paramount’s Kimberley Macias (21) drives to the basket against Canyon High of Canyon Country in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 2AA girls basketball playoffs at Paramount High on Saturday, February 11, 2023.
Paramount’s Kimberley Macias (21) drives to the basket against Canyon High of Canyon Country in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 2AA girls basketball playoffs at Paramount High on Saturday, February 11, 2023. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Paramount head coach Leon Polk talks to his players during their game against Canyon of Canyon Country in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 2AA girls basketball playoffs at home on Saturday, February 11, 2023.
(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Paramount’s Kimberley Macias (21) drives to the basket against Canyon High of Country High in a CIF-SS Division 2AA girls basketball playoff game at Paramount High Saturday, February 11, 2023.
(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Paramount’s Morgan Clay (0) is fouled on a drive to the basket against Canyon High of Canyon Country in a CIF-SS Division 2AA girls basketball playoff game at Paramount High Saturday, February 11, 2023.
(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Paramount’s Kaylani Polk (1) tries to drive to the basket against Canyon High of Canyon Country in a CIF-SS Division 2AA girls basketball playoff game at Paramount High Saturday, February 11, 2023.
(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Players for Canyon High of Canyon Country celebrate their victory over Paramount in a CIF-SS Division 2AA girls basketball playoff game at Paramount High Saturday, February 11, 2023.
(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Canyon of Canyon Country’s Aaliyah Garcia (2) scores in the second of a CIF-SS girls basketball playoff game against Paramount at Paramount High School on Saturday, February 11, 2023.
(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Paramount lost to Canyon High of Canyon Country in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 2AA girls basketball playoffs at Paramount High on Saturday, February 11, 2023.
(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Paramount’s Kaylani Polk (1) tries to get control of the ball against Canyon High of Canyon Country during a CIF-SS Division 2AA girls basketball playoff game at Paramount High on Saturday, February 11, 2023. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Paramount’s Kaylani Polk (1) drives to the basket against Canyon High of Canyon Country in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 2AA girls basketball playoffs at home on Saturday, February 11, 2023.
(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Paramount’s Kimberley Macias (21) wins a battle for a lose ball against Canyon High of Canyon Country in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 2AA girls basketball playoffs at home on Saturday, February 11, 2023.
(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Paramount’s Kimberley Macias (21) wins a battle for a lose ball against Canyon High of Canyon Country in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 2AA girls basketball playoffs at home on Saturday, February 11, 2023.
(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Paramount’s Morgan Clay (0) shoots a free throw against Canyon of Canyon Country in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 2AA girls basketball playoffs at home on Saturday, February 11, 2023.
(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Paramount’s Kaylani Polk (1) drives to the basket against Canyon of Canyon Country in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 2AA girls basketball playoffs at home on Saturday, February 11, 2023.
(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Paramount came within nine points early in the third quarter, but Canyon continued to answer every run to maintain its lead throughout the second half and sealed the win by making big free throws in the fourth quarter.
The ending was difficult for Paramount. The frustration over the loss and with the officiating in the game came to a head in the final minutes. Two Pirates players were assessed technical fouls and one player was ejected with 20 seconds left in the game.
Paramount coach Leon Polk gracious in defeat and talks about what went wrong in this loss to Canyon and how he felt about 2 of his players getting techs at the end of the game @BeachVarsity@presstelegrampic.twitter.com/CKBxGo9NFD
Paramount coach Leon Polk talked about what went wrong in the game.
“I felt like we started off mentally unprepared,” Polk said. “Physically, we tried hard but mentally we were not engaged the whole game. We came back in the second half a little bit different, but the first half bit us in the butt a little bit at the end, but overall I’m proud of my girls.”
Polk also spoke about his disappointment with how the game ended with the technical fouls late in the fourth quarter.
“For me, it’s more about mental toughness,” Polk said. “You have college coaches in the stands, you never know who is watching, and I told them ‘you gave them at least 10 points off of that.’”
Polk’s daughter, Kaylani, was one of the bright spots for Paramount, as she finished with a team-high 18 points and added four steals and two rebounds. She appeared to suffer a left shoulder injury midway through the fourth quarter, but she finished the game while showing heart and toughness.
“It cracked a little bit but I was able to play through it,” Kaylani Polk said of her shoulder.
She also spoke about how her team came into the game unprepared and not as mentally sharp as it should have been.
“I think there was a lot of bickering at each other and nobody was really mentally prepared as we should have been,” she continued. “We walked into the game thinking we were going to beat them, because we saw film on them. We just underestimated them basically. As soon as they got the lead, our mood just dropped.”
Sophomore guard Kimberly Macias finished with seven points, five steals and three assists, and senior forward/center Morgan Clay finished with seven points and nine rebounds.
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Despite the loss, Coach Polk was proud of his team’s overall effort and how far they went this season.
“I’m extremely proud,” Leon Polk said. “We finished third in the (Suburban Valley) league and we almost took first, and we’re semi-young. I’ll bring nine girls back, so we should be pretty solid next year hopefully.”
Canyon (20-7) had a balanced effort led by guard Aaliyah Garcia, who finished with 18 points, five assists and four rebounds. She went 7 of 9 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.
Katherine Garcia, a 5-foot-4 guard, finished with 10 points and a game-high 18 rebounds, and forward Josie Regez added 12 points and four rebounds.
