ANAHEIM – It was the play of the game in what might be the boys basketball game of the year.
Made by perhaps the Orange County player of the year.
Canyon sophomore Brandon Benjamin’s putback beat the buzzer and beat JSerra 58-56 in a CIF Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinal playoff game Tuesday at Canyon High.
Canyon (25-5) will play at Eitwanda (25-4) in the semifinals Friday night.
By reaching the semifinals Canyon qualified for the CIF Southern California Regional playoffs that follow the CIF-SS playoffs.
The final 25 seconds went like this …
Yes, this is it … Brandon Benjamin with the one-handed putback for the winning bucket at the buzzer, 58-56 over JSerra (thanks for this … )
https://t.co/22oxISRVrr— Steve Fryer (@SteveFryer) February 15, 2023
With the game at 56-56, JSerra’s Everett Bryson missed on a drive. Canyon’s Connor Leonard got the rebound and dribbled quickly to the frontcourt.
Benjamin, a 6-5 sophomore who plays like a 6-9 senior, was anchored at the baseline three feet outside of the key to the right of the key with two JSerra players on him, unsuccessful in their attempt to move Benjamin out of the area that is his basketball bed.
“I was just thinking ‘Give me the damn ball,’” Benjamin said.
A couple of passes later the ball was tossed to Benjamin there.
Benjamin did his usual drop-step, turn-and-knife-through-the-double-team move to put up a close bank shot that was no good, the ball caromed off of the rim and Benjamin sprung quickly to get his right hand on the ball and bank it in as the buzzer sounded.
He finished the game with 32 points and eight rebounds. Benjamin made two 3-pointers on five attempts. Going into Tuesday’s game Benjamin had attempted 26 3-pointers and had made six of them.
Canyon senior guard Johnathan Carey scored 17 points including 5 3-pointers, all of which were momentum shifters.
Canyon senior forward Tyler Toward scored nine points. He made two 3s in the fourth quarter. He was 1…
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