When reality struck and the final buzzer sounded, it was a supporting player who stole the final scene for an improbable happy ending.
Layla Romero put back a rebound off a missed 3-pointer by Miley Brown as time expired at Joe Lombard Gymnasium to upend the established order of Canyon ISD and District 4-4A girls’ basketball. Romero’s shot gave Randall a 54-52 win over Canyon and sole possession of the district lead to send a resounding message across the Texas Panhandle.
It was the first time in 48 district games dating back to 2018 that Canyon had lost a district contest. For Randall (15-6, 5-0 in district), it was the first victory over Canyon (15-6, 4-1) since the 2007 championship game of the Kids Inc. Tournament.
More important than anything, though, was the fact that Randall now has sole possession of the district lead and Canyon suddenly looks vulnerable in 4-4A play. The significance of that was not lost on Randall coach Brooke Walthall, a Canyon graduate who was part of two state championships.
“It’s a big deal and it’s always a big deal, but to be completely honest I’m just proud of our kiddos,” said Walthall, who scored her first victory over her alma mater in 12 seasons at Randall. “I got to play (at Canyon) and it was really cool and I know what a great coaching staff and kids they have, but today our kids came out on top and that’s what I’m most proud of. We work the situations with so many different people.”
On paper, it was the kind of game which should have been expected. Canyon and Randall entered the game ranked Nos. 9 and 10 in the state respectively, and in terms of the hype, they lived up to the billing, as the 6-0 lead Randall took to start the game was the biggest lead for either team.
But with the score tied 52-52 with 12 seconds left and the ball belonging to Randall, neither Sanchez nor Moss figured in the final possession.
With Sanchez being hounded, the ball fell to Brown, who took a long three from the top of the key which missed and caromed back wildly. Romero grabbed the ball in the key from less than 10 feet away and put it back through as time expired to pull out the win.
“There were five seconds left when I looked at the clock and I knew one of us was going to get the rebound because none of them had blocked us out,” said Romero, who had 11 points. “I felt like we prepared well for this and we had a chance against them.”
Nobody could establish momentum which lasted more than a couple of minutes, as Canyon led 26-24 at intermission. The teams traded blows after Randall’s initial surge, with Canyon leading 12-11 at the end of the first quarter and trading the lead early in the second quarter.
The game was tied at 17 before Canyon scored five straight points and held the lead for the rest of the half. It was no surprise that Sanchez carried Randall with 15 points in the first half.
“I feel like any game is the same for me, I don’t feel like anything’s a big game or a small game,” Sanchez said. “I work hard in practice so I can perform well in the game. I trust my teammates and they trust me. Anybody on the team can come in and make a big shot and Layla plays that spot every single day.”
Both teams held five-point leads in the second half but neither could hold them. In the final minute, Moss hit the second of two straight threes to give Canyon a 52-51 lead, before Sanchez hit a free throw to tie it and the Lady Raiders rebounded a Canyon miss and called a timeout to set up the final drama.
The Lady Raiders cleared a big hurdle, but they still have nine district games left.
“We’ve got to keep going,” Walthall said excitedly. “We play Hereford next and everybody in our district is good. I feel good that we won and we’ll enjoy it tonight before we go back to work tomorrow.”
Randall 11 24 36 54
Canyon 12 26 37 52
R– Sadie Sanchez 33, Layla Romero 11. C– Jaylee Moss 27, Kambrie Graser 7. Records: Randall 15-6, 5-0. Canyon 15-6, 4-1.