The varsity boys’ basketball team defeated El Paso Hanks 58-57 in a thrilling area championship match-up last Friday night in Odessa.

Canyon held the lead 15-13 after the first quarter, but was behind 29-31 at the end of the first half. The Eagles continued to battle with the Knights for the lead, trailing Hanks 42-43 at the end of the third quarter.

The fourth quarter was a battle until the final seconds of the game. Hanks pulled ahead by 7, 48-55, before senior Wyatt Sippy hit two crucial three-pointers to close the margin to 54-55. After the game became tied at 56, Hanks gained the lead 57-56 with 30 seconds left. Junior Dylan Douglass took advantage of his chance at the free throw line, tying the game at 57 and then giving Canyon the one-point lead. With only 11 seconds left in the game, the Eagle defense held the Knights scoreless to secure their area title.

“The excitement was crazy after Doug hit his last free throw,” senior Landon Bressler said. “The crowd was really into it as we played tough defense for those last 11 seconds.”

Canyon will play Frenship tomorrow night at 6 p.m. at Wayland University in Plainview for the regional quarterfinals.

“That’s a pretty big rivalry for us so we really want to come out and get that win,” Bressler said. “As long as we buckle down, play hard defense and just play our game we should come out on top.”