Jaguars ahead of coach’s timetable

Coach Mel Washington came to Desert Pines this season thinking his team could become a title contender in the 2008-09 season.

The Jaguars, though, have proved they're well ahead of any supposed learning curve.

Desert Pines (15-5) won the Northeast Division and will host Tech (13-8) in a Sunrise Region girls basketball quarterfinal at 6:30 p.m. today.

"I came in here expecting to teach these girls fundamental basics," said Washington, who coached at Western last season. "I just landed on my feet like a cat. A lot of the girls had already played on varsity. It was there, but I thought it would be harder to win the division."

Especially considering that only one of the Jaguars' top six players is a senior.

"It's not there yet," Washington said. "They haven't quite jelled."

That's a scary thought for Jaguars opponents, considering Desert Pines went 11-1 in division play and has the potential of putting together a lengthy postseason run.

The Jaguars have played well defensively for most of the season, allowing an average of 43.9 points, including 11 games of 40 or fewer points.

"Our defense helps us wins most of our games," junior forward Clarissa Davis said.

But maybe the most dangerous part of the Jaguars' arsenal is their balanced offense. Sophomore point guard LaBrea Walker leads the team in scoring with 11.4 points per game and averages 9.7 assists.

Davis averages 10.7 points, followed by junior forward Andrea Jefferson (9.6) and senior forward Ashley Flemming (8.0).

"We're coming together as a team," Walker said. "It helps a lot that we have people who can score. It makes us harder to defend."

The Desert Pines-Tech winner will face the winner of today's Eldorado (12-10) at Silverado (22-9) quarterfinal.

"We're taking it one game at a time," Davis said. "If we start thinking about state, we'll probably mess up."

In the other Sunrise quarterfinals today, Valley (10-18) visits Southeast champion Green Valley (25-3), and Basic (18-13) is at Rancho (10-12). All games are at 6:30 p.m.

Top-ranked Bishop Gorman (24-4) and No. 2 Centennial are the clear favorites in the Sunset Region tournament, which begins Tuesday. The Gaels and Bulldogs have combined to win the last six Class 4A state titles, and the teams have met for the last five Sunset titles.

Gorman has won three of the last five region championships, but none of the games was decided by more than six points. Centennial beat the Gaels 68-62 in last year's Sunset championship game.

Southwest champion and two-time defending state champ Bishop Gorman (24-4) hosts Shadow Ridge (14-9) and Northwest Division champion Centennial (26-3) hosts Sierra Vista (13-17). Palo Verde (24-7) plays at Durango (25-5) and Bonanza (15-9) plays at Mojave (20-6) in the other quarterfinals Tuesday.

The regional semifinals are Thursday, with the regional championship games Friday. The regional champions advance to the state semifinals on Feb. 21 in Reno.