Late surge powers Foothill boys basketball past Las Vegas

If you were to chart the point differential throughout Foothill’s boys basketball game against Las Vegas on Wednesday night, it would look a lot like a sine curve.

It started at zero, went to a positive peak, dipped back to zero when the game was tied, went negative when the Wildcats took the lead and eventually ended in a 58-48 peak for a road victory by the Falcons.

“The kids have been putting a lot of time in to the weight room and the gym, and it paid off,” Foothill coach Kevin Soares said. “We made plays at the end when we had to.”

The Falcons reached their final peak with a 19-5 run that began near the end of the third quarter and progressed deep into the fourth. The Wildcats led 38-30, their biggest lead, when Foothill (3-0) got going.

Foothill’s comeback began in earnest after a technical foul on Las Vegas (2-2) late in the third. Guard Michael Shaw made both free throws, and the Falcons closed the quarter on an 8-1 run to get to within 39-38.

Foothill scored the first five points of the fourth quarter on free throws for a 43-38 lead. The Falcons made 20 of 23 at the foul line.

Foothill punctuated the victory with a block by senior forward Mauricio Smith and his 3-pointer on the other end that extended the Falcons’ lead to 53-44 with 2:40 left.

The Falcons dominated the final quarter, outscoring Las Vegas 20-9, and Soares said the late surge came as the result of one thing.

“We finally started playing defense,” he said. “We finally buckled down, got a couple stops, made a couple shots.”

Smith scored 14 points to match sophomore Jace Roquemore for the team high. Junior Marvin Coleman had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Las Vegas junior Donovan Joyner led all scorers with 17 points.

Contact reporter Justin Emerson at jemerson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2944. Follow @J15Emerson on Twitter.