AMARILLO — On Friday night, the Canyon girls basketball team picked up a 59-51 win over Randall, a District 4-4A and Canyon ISD rival, on the road.
The Lady Eagles (24-4, 11-0), ranked No. 5 in the latest Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Top 25 poll, were led by 16 points from Addison Cunningham. Sadie Sanchez was the Lady Raiders’ leading scorer, tallying 27 points in the loss.
Game-changing plays
Randall got off to a fast start, leading 17-7 midway through the first quarter behind solid defense and multiple made 3-point shots. Canyon fought back, going on a 6-0 run to end the opening frame.
The Lady Eagles extended their run to 10-0 with four quick points to start the second quarter, briefly tying the game at 17 before a Sanchez triple gave the Lady Raiders the lead once again. Both sides traded buckets throughout the period as Randall continued to stress Canyon’s defense with five triples in the first half.
The Lady Eagles took their first lead of the game with a little more than a minute remaining in the second quarter, scoring a fast break layup to take a 31-29 advantage into halftime.
Canyon dominated the third quarter, outscoring Randall 17-7 to build a 48-36 leading going into the final frame. The Lady Eagles maintained their lead in the fourth quarter despite a stout comeback effort from the Lady Raiders, leaving Randall with a 59-51 win.
They said it
Canyon head coach Tate Lombard: “(Randall) is always a tough place to play. Brooke (Walthall) does a great job with her team. We knew it was going to be a battle coming in. They got off to a great start. It took us (awhile) to kind of settle in a little bit. I was proud of our fight and the way we held on.”
Canyon senior Jaylee Moss: “I think it definitely showed our toughness tonight. They’re a really tough team, so I think we showed our discipline and how good we can really be in that late run this year.”
Up next
The Lady Eagles will play their penultimate regular season contest at home against Dumas on Jan. 28. The Lady Raiders next game will come on Jan. 31, when Randall takes on Pampa at home.
(This story was updated to add new information).
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Canyon girls basketball overcomes slow start to take down Randall
