Canyon

Joe Sterling, one of the best three-point shooters in the country, tried to put up a three-point attempt from long range at the outset of the third quarter on Wednesday night at Sierra Canyon. He must have forgotten who was guarding him, because Brandon McCoy came flying like Superman to block the shot, then took the deflected ball, dribbled and delivered an uncontested dunk.

“I knew he was going to shoot it,” McCoy said.

McCoy’s athleticism was on display all night as No. 1-ranked Sierra Canyon put itself in position to be the No. 1 seed for next week’s Mission League tournament with a 55-47 home victory over Harvard-Westlake.

McCoy finished with 20 points, including back-to-back threes in the second quarter when he helped Sierra Canyon (19-1, 5-0) wipe away an early deficit. He had zero points in the first quarter and 20 points the rest of the way.

“I wanted him to be more aggressive,” Sierra Canyon coach Andre Chevalier said. “He went into attack mode.”

Not only was McCoy contributing on offense, but his defense helped the Trailblazers hold Harvard-Westlake’s leading scorer, Sterling, to a season-low five points. He made one of eight shots and got into foul trouble.

“The fact he’s playing defense at a high level is amazing,” Chevalier said. “That’s what college coaches are looking for.”

Sierra Canyon also received a strong performance from 6-foot-8 Brannon Martinsen, who had 16 points. “I found my role,” he said. “It was figuring out how to complement guys as good as me.”

Pierce Thompson led No. 3 Harvard-Westlake (21-3, 4-1) with 14 points. The Wolverines struggled against Sierra Canyon’s half-court trap and didn’t have enough offensive contributors with Sterling taken out of the game by the Trailblazers’ defense.

“They’re good,” Harvard-Westlake coach David Rebibo said. “I don’t think they’re invincible. They’re deep and versatile. That’s what makes them so dangerous.”

The Mission League will hold a tournament beginning Jan. 29. The first two teams in the regular-season standings are guaranteed Southern Section playoff berths. Harvard-Westlake closes with tough matchups against Sherman Oaks Notre Dame on Saturday and St. Francis at home next week. Sierra Canyon has a home game against Crespi and a road game against Chaminade.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 68, Crespi 56: NaVorro Bowman scored 33 points for the Knights.

Loyola 104, Bishop Alemany 70: Deuce Newt had 50 points and made 10 threes for Loyola. Austin Acy, a freshman, had 40 points for Alemany.

St. Francis 66, Chaminade 56: Cherif Millogo had 20 points and Luke Paulus 17 for St. Francis.

Santa Margarita 102, Servite 69: Drew Anderson finished with 35 points and 10 rebounds for the Eagles.

St. John Bosco 56, JSerra 50: Christian Collins scored 30 points and Max Ellis and Tariq Iscandari had key threes to stay unbeaten in the Trinity League.

Mater Dei 81, Orange Lutheran 79: Zain Majeed scored with 1.5 seconds left for Mater Dei. Luke Barnett had 23 points and became Mater Dei’s career three-point leader with 373 moving past Taylor King.

Corona del Mar 76, Los Alamitos 54: Ryan Mansouri scored 23 points for 23-1 Corona del Mar.

Cleveland 56, Chatsworth 55: Aaron Krueger led Chatsworth with 17 points.

Birmingham 74, Granada Hills 53: Tekeio Phillips had 16 points and Christian Graham 15 to help the Patriots set up a showdown with Cleveland on Friday to decide first place in the West Valley League.

El Camino Real 44, Taft 43: The Royals made a three at the end to win.

Narbonne 63, San Pedro 62: Branden Key had 24 points to help Narbonne pull off the Marine League upset.

Sierra Canyon, ranked No. 1 in high school basketball in the Southland, traveled to Springfield College on Saturday for the Hoophall Classic and came away with a 75-58 win over Miami Columbus.

Brandon McCoy earned game MVP honors by scoring 24 points and collecting 10 rebounds. Maxi Adams also had 24 points.

Sierra Canyon (18-1) has an even bigger test coming on Wednesday in Mission League play when it faces defending champion Harvard-Westlake (21-2) in a home game that should be sold out quickly.

Fairfield (Conn.) Notre Dame Prep 72, Mater Dei 57: The Monarchs (14-9) were beaten at the Hoophall Classic.

Los Alamitos 73, St. Francis 70: The Griffins won in overtime behind Tyler Lopez, who had 25 points. Sophomore Cole Ragsdale scored 19 points for St. Francis, which played without 7-foot-4 Cherif Millogo (illness).

Damien 53, North Torrance 32: The surging Spartans improved to 20-4 behind Eli Garner, who scored 20 points on eight-for-12 shooting from the field.

Heritage Christian 68, St. Anthony 45: Dominic Loehle finished with 24 points and 10 assists for Heritage Christian.

Girls basketball

Brentwood 73, La Jolla Bishops 42: The Eagles received 21 points from Mikaella Kawahito in the win in San Diego.

South Torrance 53, St. Anthony 51: Laila Hughes of St. Anthony had 13 points and nine rebounds.

Birmingham 84, El Segundo 43: Kiara Wakabi had 21 points while Jaydin Walker 20 points and 11 rebounds for Birmingham.

On a night honoring JuJu Watkins, maybe the school’s most accomplished athlete ever, the Sierra Canyon boys’ basketball team did her alma mater proud by holding off Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 78-74 on Friday in a Mission League showdown in Chatsworth.

The game aired live on ESPN2 and the host Trailblazers relished the opportunity to showcase their skills on a national stage, showing why they deserve to be ranked among the best in the country.

Brandon McCoy led the way with 21 points, including several dunks, Brannon Martinsen scored 18, North Carolina-bound Maximo Adams had 17 and Jordan Mize added 12 for Sierra Canyon, which trailed 33-28 at halftime.

A three-pointer by Mize capped a 9-0 run to start the third quarter.

Ranked No. 1 in the Southland by The Times, Sierra Canyon (15-1 overall, 2-0 in league) won its 10th consecutive game since its sole defeat to Forestville (Md.) Bishop McNamara on Dec. 6 at the Capital City Showcase in Washington, D.C.

NaVorro Bowman Jr. had a game-high 36 points, including a desperation heave from half court that pulled the Knights (13-6, 0-2) to within 55-50 entering the fourth quarter. He had 14 points in the first quarter, 21 by halftime, and sank six three-pointers. Zachary White added 14 for No. 6 Notre Dame, which was trying to rebound from a four-point loss to unranked Loyola in its league opener.

JuJu Watkins became the first Sierra Canyon athlete to have their jersey retired during a ceremony at halftime of Friday night’s Mission League boys’ basketball game in Chatsworth.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Watkins’ No. 12 jersey was retired in a moving ceremony at halftime, making her the first Trailblazer to be so honored. The 2021-22 girls’ basketball California Player of the Year is now a star at USC.

“What makes JuJu special isn’t what she did but how she did it,” said Sierra Canyon girls’ coach Alicia Komaki. “She gave her heart to this place, she left her legacy and this is a reminder of her excellence.”

Mize hopes his jersey will hang from the gym rafters one day.

“We talked about this being a big game and how there would be a big crowd,” he said. “I knew this was very important for JuJu, so I can’t let her down. We got it done but I think we’re still getting better.”

JuJu Watkins is returning to Sierra Canyon High on Friday, the place where she was a high school basketball All-American.

The school will hold a ceremony retiring her jersey at halftime of the boys’ basketball game between Sierra Canyon and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

She will be presented with a framed jersey.

Watkins is sitting out this season at USC while recovering from a knee injury.

Sierra Canyon girls’ basketball coach Alicia Komaki said, “She raised our standards, which was hard to do because we had won four state championships. She was an incredibly talented player.”

Watkins was also making a huge impact in the college game until her injury last season during the NCAA playoffs.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

TRAVELERS visiting America’s famed national parks are going to face an extra $100 entry fee this week.

It comes as the National Park Service announced a new initiative, called the “America-first entry fee policy”.

Under the policy from January 1 2026, citizens of the US will be prioritized for free entry, while international visitors will now face higher entry fees overall.

This will bring the cost of annual passes for non-residents to $250, while US residents will continue to pay $80.

The parks will no longer offer free admission at all on select days of celebration including Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which falls on the third Monday of January, or Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19.

Though Flag Day (June 14), the anniversary of the NPS (August 25), Constitution Day (September 17), and President Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday (October 27), will be acknowledged as fee-free days.

So if you’re planning a trip as a US citizen, these are the best days to aim for.

Eleven national parks will be affected, including the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Yosemite, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.

In total, there will be eight free-entry days in 2026, up from six in 2025, but only for American citizens and residents. 

Fees and increases will continue to vary by park, so it’s always best to check online before you book or travel.

The changes will make sure US taxpayers “continue to enjoy affordable access, while international visitors contribute their fair share to maintaining and improving our parks for future generations,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum posted on X.

The increased fees come months after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to increase entry fees for foreign tourists.