Canyon beats Villa Park as the schools renew their boys basketball rivalry

LA HABRA – It was just like old times.

The Canyon and Villa Park boys basketball teams had not played each other for three years. Their rivalry was among the fiercer ones in Orange County sports for many seasons, including when they were in the same league.

Releaguing separated the two programs. Canyon and Villa Park met again on the basketball court at Sonora High on Friday night in the two-day Challenge For CHOC. Canyon won 65-58.

The game was the expected rough rumble. Plenty of body contact, some smack talk, and both schools had boisterous student sections in the gym.

Canyon, No. 9 in the Orange County Top 25 rankings, is 7-3. No. 24 Villa Park is 10-6.

Sophomore guard Jonah Kim led Canyon with a game-high 20 points. Kim made four 3-point baskets. Canyon freshman guard Dan Dohrmann scored 16 points with three 3-pointers and senior guard Rami Awad scored 13 points with six rebounds.

Villa Park sophomore guard Sebastian Perez scored a team-high 17 points with three 3-pointers. Spartans senior guard Hayden Hakala scored 13 points and freshman guard Jorden Salem scored 12 points.

Awad enjoyed the experience.

“It was a really fun environment,” Awad said. “All the students coming together. All the Canyon and Villa Park kids know each other.

“It gets a little chippy, but it was fun.”

Canyon coach Nate Harrison was happy that a Canyon-Villa Park boys basketball game was played again.

“It’s a rivalry game,” Harrison said. “We’d love to do it every year.”

Canyon blazed to a big, early lead. Dohrmann opened the scoring with a 3-pointer and added a driving layup to pace Canyon to an 8-0 start. The Comanches led 19-13 at the end of the first quarter.

Canyon controlled the second quarter to take a 42-26 lead into halftime.

Harrison would later say that he expected Villa Park to make a run in the second half, and that did happen. The Spartans outscored Canyon 13-3 for a stretch in the third quarter. A 59-46 lead early in the fourth quarter quickly was reduced to a 61-56 advantage, with Salem scoring seven points in the quarter, but that would be as close as Villa Park would get.

“We love winning these kinds of games,” Harrison said. “We’re going to be physical, we’re going to play hard, we don’t mind all the yapping. We love it. We love it.”

Canyon and Villa Park, like many CIF Southern Section basketball teams, will have potentially improved rosters on Dec. 26, the day the sit-out period for transfers ends. Both teams will then add depth and possibly a new starter or two.

Saturday’s schedule for Challenge For CHOC, which raises money to benefit Children’s Hospital of Orange County, includes a La Habra vs. Sonora girls game at 1:30 p.m., a Cypress vs. Fairmont Prep boys game at 6 p.m. and a Sonora vs. Troy boys game at 7:30 p.m.