Typically, an 11-seed facing a 22-seed shouldn’t be a down to the wire contest, however Tuesday night’s showdown between Canyon View and Xavier Prep was a tense 54-49 Jaguar victory.

No. 11 Canyon View (20-6) advances to face No. 6 Chandler Hamilton (19-8) at 7 p.m. Thursday in Chandler in the second round of the Open Division tournament. The winner stays in the Open bracket and the loser is sent down into its conference bracket.

Eighteen missed free throws, 11 turnovers, and six blown open layups defined the night for a Canyon View team that battled through self-inflicted adversity.

“I think they weathered the storm well, we talked about that a lot, and they understand that they're gonna be down in these moments. These are all big games where everybody shows up to play and they were able to keep their composure,” said Jaguar Coach Desirae Carranza.

The storm didn’t appear until the second half.

This battle between soon-to-be 6A conference foes initially started off sloppy as both teams combined for seven first quarter turnovers and seven fouls. Yet the Jaguars were up 15-8 after the period.

A switch flipped for Canyon View came when freshman center Analycia Sandoval checked into the game.

Sandoval, who had started mostly since becoming eligible, came off the bench Tuesday night as she continues to nurse an injury suffered against Pinnacle on Feb. 9.

“The bench was able to come in and play some big minutes for us, even if it was two minutes, three minutes, they were able to get us through the first half, until we were able to get people back in and start rolling again,” Carranza said.

The remainder of the first half saw the Jaguars attempt to pull away but commit multiple mistakes allowing Xavier to stay within striking distance.

Trailing 28-23 at halftime, Xavier switched its zone defense to allow more ball pressure on the Jaguar guards and a chance to collapse on players inside the paint.

This adjustment sparked a 16-6 run for the Gators entering the final seconds of the third quarter. 

Needing a spark, sophomore guard Lourdes Carranza took the inbounds pass to the volleyball line and pulled up for a buzzer-beating three point attempt that turned the gym back into a home court and cut Canyon View's deficit to 39-37.

The Gators were not rattled as Sariah McNabb started the fourth quarter with two of her six total steals on the night by jumping an inbounds pass and ripping the ball out of the hands of a guard at the top of the key. 

McNabb’s spark extended the lead to 46-39 with 3:42 left. 

Immediately, senior wing Azeez Tellez knocked in a huge three from the corner to cut the deficit to four. On the other end, back-to-back turnovers led to free throws for the Jaguars who knocked them down to tie the game at 46 with 2:20 remaining.

“I think we got a little tight there until the end, we missed a lot of easy bunnies, and free throws that normally go our way, but I think they weathered the storm well and got it done in the big moments,” Coach Carranza said.

In the closing moments, the ball found its way into a familiar place, the hands of Jaila Flowers.

The two-time state champion, a four-year starter for the Jaguars,  once again controlled the rebounding battle late in the game. Xavier had controlled the boards throughout the half, but pulled in four rebounds in the final three minutes. 

Even with her woes on the night, Flowers knocked in key free throws to give the Jaguars a 49-48 lead with under a minute remaining.

On the other end, McNabb drew a foul to go to the line with 13.4 on the clock. She split the free throws to tie the game at 49.

The in-bounds pass for the Jaguars sailed, yet senior Bernadette Carranza pulled in the pass off-balanced and drew a foul which sent her to the free throw line with 9.3 left. She also split at the line to give Canyon View a 50-49 lead.

Controversially, following the in-bounds pass for Xavier, Gators head coach Jennifer Gillom attempted to loudly call for a timeout. As her attempts went unnoticed, the ball was smacked out of the hands of an Xavier player with 5.6 on the clock and into the hands of Carranza, who was fouled immediately.

The missed timeout infuriated Gillom, who picked up a technical foul after storming onto the court pleading her case. 

The double foul led to four free throw attempts for the Jaguars who knocked in all four.

Canyon View now sets its sights on another 6A powerhouse in Hamilton, who presents a new challenge for the Jaguars.

The Huskies are led by Kansas State guard Sage Henry and Air Force center Taylor Sipfle. In the past a 6’4” center such as Sipfle would be a cause for concern, but with new size throughout the roster, the Jaguars match up better than before.

“We have size now, we were undersized, we were counting on Jaila to be our Charles Barkley underneath and she does a great job of it, but this year I think having that size it gives us more to be able to stretch her out and play the perimeter and help us out there as well,” Coach Carranza said.