Sierra Canyon boys basketball team eyes state championship

CHATSWORTH, Calif. (KABC) -- Beating a defending state champion is never easy.

"Galvanizing!" That's how Sierra Canyon's Cassius Stanley described the double-overtime win against undefeated Bishop Montgomery of Torrance.

The Trailblazers ended Bishop Montgomery's two-season, 42-game winning streak. "We won. Who's next?" said Scottie Pippen, Jr.

Mater Dei in the CIF Championship is next. The Trailblazers won't be intimidated playing at the Long Beach Pyramid Friday. "Most of my kids have been in NBA arenas. Playing in a college arena is no big deal to them," their coach said.

It is a big-deal to have four players on the Sierra Canyon roster with dads that played in the NBA, including Scottie Pippen Jr.

"I've learned a lot from him on and off the court. I've very thankful I could only learn some things from him," Pippen said.

Duane Washington's dad played briefly with the Clippers, but you may be more familiar with his uncle -- former Laker Derek Fisher. "For me, it's just going home to my dad. Yes, my uncle is a five-time NBA champion. But to me, it's just family," said Washington.

Outsiders might suggest Sierra Canyon is on top of the world after beating the defending state champions, but the Trailblazers still have a road to climb. Their goal is to win the state title, and that doesn't mean Bishop Montgomery or their opponent Friday, Mater Dei, is in the rearview mirror.

"We're never going to tell ourselves we are the best. Me might think it, but we're just going to keep playing hard until we are on top at the end of the season," said Washington.

Sierra Canyon has won 23 games. Their three losses have come by only a combined seven points.

"A lot of people call us the AAU team, but we are more than that, we are a well-rounded deep team," Pippen said. It's a team intent on bringing a second Boys State Championship banner to Chatsworth.