SIERRA VISTA INVITE: Minuscule Mountain Lions rout Cowboys

Sierra Vista’s girls basketball team doesn’t 'wow’ anyone with its height.

Rather, it’s the lack of it.

But the Mountain Lions have an impressive amount of speed and aggressiveness.

They put it on display Monday en route to a 73-21 rout of Chaparral on the first day of the Sierra Vista Invitational.

“We have to press and work for turnovers,” said Sierra Vista coach Lindsay Whalen, whose tallest player might generously be listed at 5 feet, 9 inches. “We don’t have any other options.”

Sierra Vista led only 11-10 in the final stages of the first quarter before the Mountain Lions’ trapping press sparked a 28-2 run that sealed Chaparral’s fate.

Senior guard Jeanette Jackson scored 14 points during the run as the Mountain Lions took a 43-12 halftime lead and cruised to the win.

Chaparral had 18 turnovers in the first half and finished with 28.

“We just told the girls to work on the press and get some turnovers and try to get some easy baskets,” Whalen said.

Jackson finished with 27 points, including 21 in the first half.

Marley Wakeen added 17 points, and A’Yanna Johnson scored 13 for the Mountain Lions.

“We’ve always thought they had the capability (to be scorers), but they needed a year to get into the groove,” Whalen said of Wakeen and Johnson. “They’re more confident now.”

Jacquie Ferguson paced Chaparral with seven points.

Palo Verde 56, Chaparral 47 — Jasmin Kiley scored 18 points as the Panthers survived a scare from the Cowboys.

Alyssa Amoruso added 15 points, and Dominique Bryant scored 11 for Palo Verde.

Octavia Gray scored 14 of her 16 points in the second half to lead Chaparral, which got 14 points from Ferguson.

Rialto (Calif.) 64, Palo Verde 38 — Rialto outscored the Panthers 35-14 in the second half to blow the game open.

Janae Sharpe led the Knights with 23 points.

Lily Tapusoa had 10 points for Palo Verde.

Page (Ariz.) 71, Green Valley 21 — The Sand Devils used a 22-0 run in the first half and cruised past the Gators.

Chelsey Rocke led Page with 14 points.

Jill Harland had seven points for Green Valley, which played most of the game without its three leading scorers due to absences and injuries.

Green Valley 42, Arbor View 26 — Harland scored 12 points, and the Gators used a 16-6 second-quarter run to pull away from Arbor View.

Mackenzie Butler and Shavon Stevens each had 11 points for Green Valley.

Valenzuela had 16 points for the Aggies.

Durango 39, Arbor View 36 — Amanda Boucher scored 12 points, and the Trailblazers held off a furious rally by the Aggies.

Dareal Thomas added 11 points for Durango, which carried a 35-21 lead into the fourth quarter.

Valenzuela scored 13 points for Arbor View.

Page (Ariz.) 63, Durango 39 — The Sand Devils outscored the Traiblazers, 18-3 in the third quarter on their way to the win.

Jessica Anderson led Page with 10 points.

Jasmine Thomas had 15 points, and Boucher scored 10 for Durango.

Coronado 74, Rancho 48 — Austin Nelson scored 17 points, and the Cougars jumped out to a 40-25 halftime lead.

Adam Schmitt added 13 points for Coronado.

Chris Hall led Rancho with 19 points, and teammate Ciaran Subira scored 10.

Cimarron-Memorial 78, Spring Valley 63 — Christian Brown led five double-figure scorers with 17 points as the Spartans downed the Grizzlies.

Erik Brewer added 16 points, and Deijon Spillers scored 13 for Cimarron, which got 11 points apiece from Marques Barnes and Jayson Lubera.

Deshaun Nowlin paced Spring Valley with 24 points. Tyler Jones scored 11 for the Grizzlies.

Coronado 77, Cimarron-Memorial 68 — Nelson tallied 18 points, and the Cougars withstood a late Spartan rally.

Drew Badillo added 16 points, Michael Louder had 14 and Schmitt supplied 11 for Coronado, which led 57-37 midway through the third quarter.

Brewer poured in 32 points, and Brown scored 19 for Cimarron.

Spring Valley 76, Rancho 37 — Gary Payton scored 15 points as the Grizzlies breezed past the Rams.

Sean Clancey and Jones each added 14 points for Spring Valley.

Bryant Garcia’s seven points led the Rams.

Sierra Vista 67, Silverado 59 — Viko Noma’aea scored 19 points, and Maiscei Grier added 18 points as the Mountain Lions built a 21-point fourth-quarter lead and hung on.

Donovan Williams tallied 10 points for Sierra Vista.

David Ware poured in 22 points for Silverado, which used a 17-2 fourth-quarter run to get back into the game. Michael El-Takrori and Ruben Jackson each added 10 points for the Skyhawks.

Lynwood (Calif.) 79, Mojave 71 — Cedric Ross scored 22 points to help the Knights top the Rattlers.

Andrew Lotts poured in 37 points, and Dean Walters scored 10 for Mojave.

Sierra Vista 87, Mojave 65 — Grier had 22 points as the Mountain Lions rolled to a 70-47 lead after three quarters and cruised home against the Rattlers.

Xavier Rogers added 15 points, Noma’aea scored 14 points, and Gary Jacobs contributed 12 points for Sierra Vista.

Lotts had 23 points and Walters supplied 10 points for Mojave.