The Canyon View Jaguars were headed to a second consecutive 5A title loss to the same team.

They only led once and trailed by five with 55.2 remaining in regulation.

But they willed themselves to a victory and a bit of school history Friday.

Just when it looked dire, Canyon View’s defense, its calling card, and a whole lot of gumption allowed the Jaguars to rally and defeat Sunrise Mountain 49-41 in overtime. The strong support the team received at the Madhouse on McDowell, Veterans Memorial Coliseum, assisted the team as well.

For that, it was rewarded with the school’s first team title in any sport for girls.

“I think our teammates, the bench, the crowd, everyone kept us in it,” said one of Canyon View’s heroes, sophomore forward Jaila Flowers. “I don’t think we could do it without them. We knew we had to push through.”

Nerves and Sunrise Mountain’s zone, which it used from start to finish, had Canyon View off-form during the first three and half quarters.

But the shift in the game came when Canyon View went to its full-court man pressure and kept snatching second chance opportunities late in the game. A three from Jaden Maza (12 points) that bounced a couple of times before dropping led to loud cheers from Sunrise Mountain fans and a 37-32 lead with 55.2 on the clock in regulation.

Out of a timeout, Flowers’s put back after two Canyon View shot attempts presented an and-1 chance that the sophomore converted. With its opponent’s defensive stance and game pressure ratcheted up, a Sunrise Mountain pass after an inbounds play was then stolen by another key player, Cynthia Tewksbury.

The junior guard’s steal led to another Canyon View timeout with 32.4 left. Tewksbury, the team’s third leading scorer in the game with nine, had a buzzer beater just before halftime to bring her team to within two (15-13).

After Tewksbury’s steal and a timeout late in the game, Flowers expertly found the space needed to get open under the basket to tie the game at 37-37.

That’s when another defensive menace, Aaliyah Rogers (10 points), recorded one of her game-high four steals for a chance to seal a victory with just 10.9 left. Rogers’s three at the 1:25 mark of the third period allowed Canyon View to hold briefly its first and only lead (23-22) in regulation.

But Canyon View missed a shot, and its put-back attempt was blocked just before overtime.

Sunrise Mountain, which used five players primarily, may have run out of gas, as four players played the entire 36 minutes. But so did Rogers, who did her darndest not to let her team lose.

Of her 15 rebounds, eight were on the offensive end. Seven of Canyon View’s first seven overtime points came after missed shots, as it outscored the 5A runner-up 12-3 in the final four minutes.

The 5A champ may not have shot well, but it made 88 percent of its free throws (16 for 18). 

In the end, Canyon View celebrated. Canyon View coach Desirae Carranza and her husband Frank waited 16 years to accomplish a mission.

They started and ran a very successful basketball program at Sierra Linda before launching Canyon View. The Carranzas got to celebrate with their daughter, injured sophomore guard Bernadette, on the court.

“It’s been a lot of work,” Desirae said. “But really it’s about the girls and letting them see that you can be a mom, have a fulltime job and this can still be a part of your life and do what you love to do and are passionate about. This is all about them and being around good people and bringing them to this.”

The history makers. The 2023-24 Canyon View Jaguars accomplished something that hadn't been done before at their school. (Jose Garcia/azpreps365)