CANYON, HART BACK ON BIG STAGE COWBOYS AND INDIANS RENEW RIVALRY IN GIRLS' BASKETBALL FINAL.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer

A legendary crosstown rivalry continues.

Canyon High faces Hart tonight at 6:30 at the Pyramid at Long Beach State in the the Div. I-A girls' basketball final.

``I think the whole Santa Clarita Valley will be down in Long Beach,'' Hart coach Dave Munroe said. ``A lot of the players from both teams know each other, so it will be a friendly battle.''

Both teams have much to prove. The Indians (26-4) makes their fourth championship appearance in five years after losing three finals in a row, from 2002 to 2004. Unseeded Canyon (23-7) wants to show it belongs on the same court as its Foothill League rival after two decisive defeats, 43-29 on Jan. 20 and 50-28 on Feb. 9 in the regular-season finale.

Since that second Hart loss, the Cowboys - who had never won a girls' basketball playoff game before this season - have been on a Cinderella streak, reeling off four consecutive postseason upsets, including a 56-55 overtime victory Tuesday over J.W. North of Riverside in the semifinals.

``That was the best feeling in the world,'' said Canyon's Christina Hall, who scored the winning basket against J.W. North with a 3-pointer from the top of the key with eight seconds remaining.

Canyon won the battle between football powers, beating Hart 21-13 in the Southern Section Div. II football championship last fall. Can its magical run in girls' basketball continue in what would surely be the hugest upset, any sport, in school history?

Canyon coach Stan Delus believes the past is the past, and he has refused to allow his players to be intimidated by a Hart team brimming with talented stars such as Oregon-bound Taylor Lilley, the state's most prolific 3-pointer shooter, who averages nearly 18 points per game.

``We're working hard preparing for this game, and we have a different mentality this time,'' Delus said. ``The girls are much more focused and a lot more confident, and they're playing better basketball. We just need to stay composed and in the moment.''

After coming back from a 12-point deficit in the semifinals, Canyon has momentum, but it must use its height advantage effectively to stay with the Indians. The performances of 6- foot-4 center Cheryl Stevens, at least five inches taller than every Hart player, leading scorers Nikki Leon (12.4 points per game) and Brittany Thomas (9.7) are critical.

Leon missed the most recent loss to Hart because of an injury, and she scored just four points in the first meeting.

``When we fell behind by 12 points in the semis, I told the girls they were in a dogfight and they've been smacked in the mouth. It was time to play,'' Delus said. ``They're mentally stronger than a lot of people give them credit for. I feel like we're mentally strong enough to compete with any team.''

Alternate defenders will concentrate on Lilley, who this season has made 107 of 209 3-pointers (52 percent), five in a 51-48 semifinal victory Tuesday over Pasadena.

``We depend on Taylor and look to her as our leader,'' Hart guard Amanda Sreden said. ``If her shooting is not on, she'll do it some other way.''

Hart has won 14 in a row by an average margin of 19 points. Among the team's top players are transfer Tatianna Thomas, three-year starter KaLana Inemer and 5-11 center Megan Ford, back from a knee injury that sidelined her 14 games.

The Indians won back-to-back section titles in 1989 and '90, the second in Munroe's first season. Hart has an 11-game winning streak against Canyon and is 27-1 in the series since the Cowboys joined the Foothill League in 1992.

Gerry Gittelson, [phone]

gerry.gittelson(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, 3 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) Cheryl Stevens, at 6-foot-4, gives Canyon a decided height advantage over Hart, whose tallest player stands 5-11.

David Crane/Staff Photographer

(2 -- color) Hart's Taylor Lilley averages 18 points per game and has made 52 percent of her three-point attempts this season.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

(3 -- color) Canyon's Cheryl Stevens, left, and Hart's Britney Fitchpatrick tangled for a loose ball during the Indians' victory in January. Hart won both Foothill League meetings, by 14 and 22 points.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) GIRLS' BASKETBALL

(2) HART (26-4)

(3) CANYON (23-7)