SUNSET BOYS BASKETBALL: Desert Oasis shoots down Legacy in quarterfinals

Taiga Miyano holds the 3-point percentage record for Desert Oasis' boys basketball program. And it didn't take long for the junior guard to show off his outside shooting stroke Wednesday night.

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.

Desert Oasis (19-9) faces Bishop Gorman (21-7) in the semifinals at 4:40 p.m. today at Arbor View.

"He's got the green light," Desert Oasis coach Ryan Fretz said of Miyano, who was 3-for-3 on 3-pointers. "Any time he's open in transition, he's got the green light. It was good to see him hit that. It was huge, and it definitely sparked us, sparked the crowd and got us going."

Miyano's 3-pointers and a three-point play by Aamondae Coleman gave Desert Oasis the first nine points. After a Legacy basket, Coleman had another three-point play, and Leslie Long hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to make the score 15-2.

The Diamondbacks scored 12 points off turnovers in the first quarter, and Miyano hit his third 3-pointer with nine seconds left in the quarter to give Desert Oasis a 28-13 lead.

"It definitely helped," Fretz said of the quick start. "That's what we've been talking about in practice all week."

Miyano and Coleman combined for 17 first-quarter points. And though they cooled off in the second quarter, Legacy (12-15) was unable to cut into the Desert Oasis lead. Andrue Aguilera had seven of his 15 points in the second quarter to help the Diamondbacks go up 41-27 at halftime.

"That's what's great about this team," Fretz said. "We can shoot outside, we can get the ball inside. If you take away Aamondae, Taiga, Jake (Heese), anybody else will start picking it up."

Legacy made a bit of a run in the third quarter, cutting the lead to 50-41 after back-to-back 3-pointers by junior guard Quinten Brewster. They got it back to nine on two free throws by Kameron Delgadillo with 1:47 left in the third quarter.

But reserves Heese and Daron Fuglesten helped Desert Oasis regain control. Fuglesten had a steal and basket with 22 seconds left, and Heese scored with three seconds remaining in the quarter to push the lead to 60-45.

Heese and Fuglesten each scored 11 points for the Diamondbacks. Heese added nine rebounds and three assists, and Fuglesten had six rebounds and three steals.

"Jake does great stuff for us," Fretz said. "He can hit the outside shot, he can drive to the basket. And then Daron, we call him sneaky Daron. He gets a couple of those steals and then he's shooting layups on the other, and his points seem to come really quick. It's a pretty good, complete team."

Timothy Jeffries had 19 points and five rebounds, and Delgadillo had 18 points and eight rebounds for the Longhorns.

Coleman had 22 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots to lead Desert Oasis, which had five players in double figures. Miyano had 13 points, and Long finished with nine points and six assists.

"You don't come across these teams that often where they move the ball and they're not selfish," Fretz said. "And we've never had that selfish guy on this team. There haven't been any 'me' players. It was really big for us to have five guys in double figures like that and not play selfish. Our saying is 'everybody eats,' and they were letting everybody eat tonight."

Now the Diamondbacks must face the area's No. 1 team in the four-time defending state champs. Gorman beat Desert Oasis 98-73 in early December.

"We scheduled them in the beginning of the year, and it was a humbling experience," Fretz said. "From that day forward, we've been working to get back to this point to play them again. And this is the most focused we're going to be. We've got a whopping 20 hours to prepare for them, and Gorman is a great team. They're well-coached. We're going to give it our best shot."

Bishop Gorman 73, Cimarron-Memorial 38 — At Gorman, Charles O'Bannon had 20 points, and Zach Collins added 12 points, 12 rebounds and 12 blocked shots as the Gaels ran away from the Spartans.

Christian Popoola added 12 points for Gorman, which led 37-12 at the half.

KeAnte Huddleston had 12 points, and Jeremiah Broussard scored 10 for Cimarron (9-14).

Durango 45, Arbor View 32 — At Durango, Jason Landman had 13 points and nine rebounds, and Chase Ruiz added 12 points and six rebounds as the Trailblazers downed the Aggies.

Michael Diggins chipped in with eight points, eight rebounds and four assists for Durango (17-6), which will face Centennial (23-3) in a region semifinal at 8 p.m. Thursday at Arbor View.

Jesse Vogel scored 11 points for Arbor View (10-15).

Centennial 68, Shadow Ridge 48 — At Centennial, Troy Brown scored 26 points to power the Bulldogs by the Mustangs.

Jake Hutchings had 18 points for Centennial, which led 39-18 at the half.

Jerell Springer and Kevin Branch each scored 14 points for Shadow Ridge (12-17).