Pam Wilmore went 7-for-8 from the field and had 21 points — six of those during a game-opening 20-3 run that lifted Centennial to a 78-62 win over Liberty in the Division I girls basketball championship game at Lawlor Events Center.
Basketball
Centennial wasn’t having much fun after a sluggish first half at UNR’s Lawlor Events Center, but the Bulldogs were in a much better mood at the conclusion of their 82-53 victory over Reno in the Division I state semifinals.
Centennial and Reno square off in a Division I girls state semifinal today at UNR’s Lawlor Events Center. The game tips at 3 p.m. Follow the action on our live blog below.
With the bulk of the attention paid to nationally ranked Centennial and Bishop Gorman, Liberty stealthly rolled to another strong season and earned a spot in the Division I state semifinals. The Patriots will face Bishop Manogue (21-1) at 6:20 p.m. Thursday at UNR’s Lawlor Events Center. Centennial (29-1) meets Reno (27-3) in the other semifinal at 3. The winners play for the state title at 6:10 p.m. Friday.
Before I can graduate, there’s some basketball to discuss. The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association boys and girls state tournaments are in Reno this week, and I took a break from writing my book about the 2015 football season (“The Year of the Butt Punt”) to make the trip north and check out all the action.
Victor Torres-Parra didn’t fully grasp the magnitude of his accomplishment until he stepped on the school bus Monday morning and was congratulated by the driver.
The overall record is 29-1, and the national ranking is a robust fifth, and the goal of reaching another Division I state tournament has been realized, and everything they say about the Centennial High girls basketball team and its prominent place in Nevada history seems more than trustworthy.
And yet there is a good chance Karen Weitz’s mother today still thinks she screams at players too much.
Zach Collins had 24 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots and the Gaels escaped with a 71-69 win over the Bulldogs for their eighth consecutive Sunset title and a berth in next week’s Division I state tournament in Reno.
Justice Ethridge scored four points in two seconds, including a back-breaking jumper off an inbound steal that lifted the Bulldogs to a 71-56 win over the Gaels and their sixth straight region title. Centennial (29-1) heads to Reno next week for the Division I state tournament. Gorman, ranked No. 23 by USA Today, had its season end at 29-2.
Troy Brown scored 14 of his game-high 30 points in the third quarter, and Centennial pulled away for a 65-48 win over Durango in the Division I Sunset Region semifinals.
Both ranked in the Top 25 nationally by USA Today, the Gaels (29-1) and Bulldogs (28-1) will face off for a 14th consecutive time in the region final at 5 p.m. Friday at Arbor View.
Desert Oasis’ Taiga Miyano knocked down two 3-pointers in the first 1:02, helping the Diamondbacks open the game on a 15-2 run, and they rolled to an 87-65 win over visiting Legacy in the Division I Sunset Region quarterfinals.
Paulina Silcox’s free throw with 13.8 seconds remaining in overtime Tuesday gave the Panthers the lead, and Palo Verde came up with a crucial defensive stop on the final possession to hang on for a 71-70 victory over Arbor View in the Division I Sunset Region quarterfinals.
Zaahid Muhammad scored 19 points Thursday to lead Canyon Springs’ boys basketball team to a 60-55 home win over Las Vegas.
Maureen Macato scored 18 points Thursday, and Rancho’s girls basketball team overcame a slow start to earn a 56-40 victory over host Coronado and clinch third place in the Southeast League.