Powerful Sequoias Knocks Canyons Out Swiftly, 71-48

Debra Davis began the game in a zone, which promptly put Canyons into a zone.

Davis, College of the Sequoias’ 6-foot sophomore center, was in the twilight zone, scoring the game’s first nine points, which forced Canyons to abandon its man-to-man and drop back into a sagging 2-3 zone.

The zone slowed but did not stop Davis or her fellow twin tower, 6-1 forward Jolayne Thompson. They scored 20 and 18 points, respectively, in Sequoias’ 71-48 win over Canyons Thursday in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament at Sequoias.

“We couldn’t match up with them,” Canyons Coach Jeff Dunlap said. “They were too strong.”

Canyons trailed, 13-0, before Keira Irwin broke the ice with a three-point play at the 15-minute mark. Sequoias led by as many as 21 before taking a 38-19 advantage into the break.

Playing in front of a raucous home crowd, Sequoias (33-3) rattled a young Canyons team (25-8) that started four freshmen and was making its first playoff appearance.

Canyons didn’t make more than two consecutive baskets until it sandwiched three in a row at about the 10-minute mark in the second half.

“Their defense was too much for us,” Dunlap said of Sequoias, the north’s top-seeded team. “They’re a great defensive team, extremely physical . . . We never got our transition going.”

Tressie Millender, recently selected Western State Conference Player of the Year, led Canyons with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Dawn Coleman, with 10, was Canyons’ only other double-figure scorer.