No. 21 Sierra Canyon takes down scrappy Sheldon in CIF Open Division championship

Video: Sierra Canyon wins CIF Open title
Watch the Trailblazers break open tight game in spectacular fashion and cut down the nets in Sacramento.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The stars were out in their brightest forms Saturday at the Golden 1 Center. 

There were the older-school NBA guys such as Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, Kenyon Martin and Derek Fisher, watching their younger kin. There was the league's new generation, too: De'Aaron Fox and Justin Jackson.

The kids on the court weren't too bad either. They were there to decide the CIF Open Division champion.

The local fans came to root the local team — a scrappy, fearless, cohesive Sheldon (Sacramento) squad without a Division 1 player on its roster.

They came to see if the local kids could hang with all the NBA offspring who play for national No. 21 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth), which also featured one of the nation's top juniors Cassius Stanley, perhaps the most spectacular player on the court.

In the end, Sierra Canyon broke open a close game to pull out a 75-62 victory, behind 23 points from Stanley and 21 points by Scotty Pippen Jr..

Duane Washington Jr. added 14 points and Kenyon Martin Jr. had 11 points, 13 rebounds and a huge block down the stretch to turn around the game.

"Everyone said we couldn't do this," Stanley said. "Everyone said we were just an AAU team. But tonight we proved everyone wrong."

Sierra Canyon was tested hard by Sheldon, which held the lead for more than 12 minutes of the game, which was tied 11 times. There were 14 lead changes. 

But in the end, the Trailblazers (27-4) just had too much firepower. They ouscored the home team 19-6 in the fourth quarter. Dale Currie led the way with 20 points for Sheldon, Dom Johnson had 11 and Kaito Williams 10.

The game, though close, was marred with foul trouble. Both teams were in foul trouble by the middle of the second quarter.

It see-sawed back and forth and was tied at 56-56 heading into the fourth. A three-pointer by Pippen with 1:52 left, gave Sierra Canyon a 70-62 lead that seemed to clinch it.

Pippen, a 6-1 guard, and Stanley, a 6-8 forward, are both juniors.

"Hopefully we'll be back here again next year," Pippen said. "And hopefully with the same result."