A year after St. Joseph (Santa Maria, Calif.) fell in the California Interscholastic Federation State Open Division championship, the Knights returned with their eyes on reaching the top. In their way stood a brutal first-round matchup against Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), a nationally ranked opponent with a bevy of star talent.
But St. Joseph has stars of its own, and in the most critical moment, their five-star junior showed up. Tounde Yessoufou hit a buzzer-beater to lift St. Joseph over Sierra Canyon, icing the game at 69-68 and being mobbed by teammates on the court.
See his high catch point, control of the ball, release, and celebration in this video taken from the sidelines:
ESPN 60 ranked junior Tounde Yessoufou hit it at the buzzer!
St. Joseph (Santa Maria HS) knocks off Sierra Canyon 69-68
pic.twitter.com/20xZkdqLER
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) February 29, 2024
Yessoufou, a wing listed as 6-foot-5 on 247Sports and 6-foot-6 on MaxPreps, drilled the shot to allow the Knights to advance to the second round, where they will face Super 25-ranked Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.).
The two teams have faced off one time already this season, a Jan. 6 game in which Roosevelt eked out a 62-61 victory. That was one of just three losses the 31-win Knights have had this season.
St. Joseph has been largely dominant this year, posting more than 2,700 points over 34 games and outscoring opponents by an average margin of about 27 points per game.
They have one player ranked in the 247Sports Composite, Yessoufou. Listed on the composite as a five-star player, he is ranked as the third-best player in California and 20th-best in the class of 2025.
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