Sunrise Regional Final Coronado vs. Canyon Springs
Picture shown above is Coach Freddie Banks of Canyon Springs
Coronado took on 1 seed Canyon Springs on Saturday for a trip to Reno and State. This was for everything on this side of the bracket. Winner moves on to the State tournament which is a feat to itself.
Coronado was more blue chip power while Canyon Springs was more about work ethic and coaching. Freddie Banks was the last coach to win State from the public school side of town. These teams had high expectations from here on out.
Coaching Matchup
Freddie Banks was the last coach to win State from the public school side of town. He is a former UNLV player and fans loved him back then. He is less of an X’s and O’s coach and more of a motivator and get the most out of kids. Trust me, he does have plays to run but those kids will run thru a brick wall for him.
Jeff Kauffman. Coach Kauffman is a used to running a 4-out 1-in offense with backdoor cuts and shooters galore. This team is different than many he has had. They are better at the dribble drive. Kauffman gives his team freedom to make choices. He lets the kids run within a system.
Game Review
From the tip it was Canyon who took the lead and didn’t look back for a quarter. Canyon face guarded Freshman point guard Jaden Hardy. That was clearly their focus for the match-up and rightly so. Hardy was the key contributor in the other games so far. They made him work for every dribble he got and every possession he got. Canyon Springs isn’t that small but they don’t have a lot of depth at the 4/5 positions. That seem to catch up with them. Coronado also took advantage of three technical fouls from the Pioneers. Emotions had been high and that led to some key points in the game. Coronado was going to have to claw their way back and that wasn’t something they were used to doing. The pressure defense also took its toll. Hardy wanted to make plays but it was a hard night to be that difference maker.
Key Time
2:20 or so in the fourth quarter of the game, It was tied on a 3 pointer from Hardy. At this point the game could go either way as momentum could allow the cougars to take the game over. Unfortunately there wasn’t enough contribution from other players on the Coronado bench. Alexander Spaight made a layup to go ahead by two and Hardy fouled out. At that point it was a free throw shooting contest to finish the game. Canyon showed hustle and heart up to the final minute to display what it takes to beat other teams. Freddie Banks is tough but disciplined coach. He gets the kids to buy in to a system and believe. I think one of the most important factors is that he trusts his players to make the right play at the end.
Alexander Spaight 32 points
Kevin Legardy 18 points
De’shawn Keperling 15 points
Coronado
Taieem Comeaux 17 points
Jaden Hardy 32 points