Girls basketball playoff preview: Centennial leads tight 5A race

Even though the battle for the Class 5A girls basketball state title is as wide open as it’s been in several years, the regular season had a familiar conclusion: another Centennial league title.

Centennial won tight regular-season matchups against fellow state-title contenders Democracy Prep and Bishop Gorman to win the league and get the No. 1 seed for the playoffs.

All three games between Centennial, Democracy Prep and Gorman were decided by three points or fewer.

The high school basketball playoffs have already begun with Class 4A Southern Region first-round action.

They continue Tuesday with quarterfinals for the 4A and 3A Southern Region. The 5A state quarterfinals are Thursday.

Here’s a look at how the playoffs shape up:

Class 5A

League champion: Centennial

Favorite: Centennial

The Bulldogs have their run of eight straight state titles snapped last season, but this year they finished undefeated in 5A Southern League play. Centennial outlasted Democracy Prep 59-56 and defeated Gorman 41-39 in the regular season.

Sophomore Nation Williams is the lone returning starter from last year’s team. The 6-foot-2-inch forward is a matchup nightmare for 5A opponents. She holds notable Division I offers from South Carolina, UCLA, Notre Dame, Maryland and Tennessee.

Nation’s older sister Ayla, a UC San Diego commit, helps Centennial inside. Newcomers Sanai Branch and D’Arrah Mitchell have helped shore up the Bulldogs’ backcourt.

Dark horse: Bishop Gorman

The Gaels lost close games to Centennial and Democracy Prep, but they still return most of their core from last year’s state-title team.

Junior guard Aaliah Spaight is one of the state’s top scorers, averaging 19.9 points per game. She also leads Gorman in rebounds (7.8) and assists (5.4).

Potential first-round upset: None

Centennial, Democracy Prep and Bishop Gorman should all roll in their quarterfinal pairings. Shadow Ridge, which reached the state semifinals last year, defeated its playoff opponent, Faith Lutheran, 60-50 in the regular season.

Class 4A

League champions: Foothill (Desert), Western (Mountain), Legacy (Sky)

Favorite: Legacy

The Longhorns enter the postseason looking for a better ending than last season, when they lost to Canyon Springs for the region title and then lost to Bishop Manogue in the state semifinals.

Legacy won the league on a tiebreaker over Losee and will get homecourt advantage throughout the region playoffs.

Dark horse: Losee

The Lions won their first-round game over Del Sol 54-45, but they have a tougher path to get to the region title game. They have to beat Mountain League champion Western in the quarterfinals and would likely get Desert League champion Foothill in the semifinals.

The Lions could fall back on the third-place game, with three Southern teams qualifying for the state tournament. A loss in the region semifinals would give the Lions a second chance to qualify for the state tournament should they stumble.

Potential quarterfinal upset: Losee over Western

Losee hasn’t lost to a 4A opponent not named Legacy. Western had a strong regular season, going 15-7, but lost to Sky League champion Legacy 60-27 in November.

Class 3A

League champions: Virgin Valley (Desert), SLAM! Nevada (Mountain)

Favorite: Virgin Valley

Virgin Valley emerged out of the challenging Desert League with the regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the postseason. The Bulldogs’ only loss to a 3A team was to Mater East, and they have the homecourt edge in the postseason.

Dark horse: Mater East

The Knights have burst onto the scene as a state-title contender. Mater East’s lone loss to a 3A opponent was to Virgin Valley 66-60 in January. The teams should meet again for the region title.

Potential first-round upset: Moapa Valley over Boulder City

Moapa Valley finished behind Virgin Valley and Mater East in the more challenging Desert League and defeated Boulder City twice in the regular season by a combined score of 115-46.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.