TARKANIAN CLASSIC: Crusaders can’t get stops to fight past Colorado team

Faith Lutheran’s boys basketball team tried multiple defenses Saturday in an effort to slow down ThunderRidge (Colorado).

Nothing worked.

The Crusaders gave up an 18-6 scoring run at the end of the first half and couldn’t get enough stops late in a 73-61 loss in the winners’ bracket of the Tarkanian Classic Eastbay Division at Bishop Gorman.

“They played hard, and their effort was better than ours for a little stretch there,” Faith Lutheran coach Bret Walter said. “They shot the ball really well in the game, as well. I give them a lot of credit.”

Nic Maccioni scored 22 of his 26 points in the second half to lead the Crusaders (4-4). Brevin Walter added 18 points, and Elijah Kothe finished with eight points and 10 rebounds for Faith Lutheran.

The Crusaders trailed by as many as 13 points early in the second half before Maccioni scored 15 of his team’s next 17 points to bring Faith Lutheran back.

Two free throws by Parker Kanne cut ThunderRidge’s lead to 47-46 with 10:56 remaining, but the Crusaders couldn’t get any closer.

After Bailey Verk’s basket inside gave the Grizzlies a 58-49 advantage, Faith Lutheran turned over the ball on the inbounds pass and Ryan Holt’s putback basket put the Grizzlies on top by 12 with seven minutes to play.

“We worked hard to get back in it, executed pretty well offensively, and then we gave up a four-point swing,” Bret Walter said. “That was a crucial turning point in the game right there.”

Maccioni’s 3-pointer got the Crusaders within 61-55, but ThunderRidge answered with a 10-0 run.

Corey Seng finished with 21 points and continually hurt the Crusaders on dribble penetration.

Kaison Hammonds had 13 of his team-high 24 points in the first half to help ThunderRidge take a 38-27 halftime lead.

“We were trying to decide the best way to defend them, and they continued to get in there,” Bret Walter said. “We’ve got to continue to improve defensively and making sure that we’re taking care of the ball a little better, especially in those crucial possessions. But that’s what this time of year is, is trying to get better.”

Sierra Vista 71, Legacy 34 — At Faith Lutheran, Chis McCoy had 28 points as the Mountain Lions routed the Longhorns.

Jalen McFadden added 13 points for Sierra Vista, and Maka Ellis and Zekarias Kassaye each had 10 points for the Mountain Lions.

Quentin Brewster paced Legacy with 13 points.

PLATINUM DIVISION

Bishop Gorman 96, Westchester (Calif.) 53 — At Gorman, Chuck O’Bannon and Christian Popoola each finished with 21 points, and the Gaels routed the Comets to advance to the winner’s bracket semifinals.

O’Bannon added six rebounds and three assists, and Popoola had three rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks.

Jamal Bey had 15 points, six rebounds and four steals, and Jarrett Jordan scored 11 for Gorman, which turned an early 16-10 advantage into a 54-28 lead at halftime.

Luis Rodriguez led Westchester with 21 points and nine rebounds.

Sierra Canyon (Calif.) 61, Centennial 52 — At Gorman, Troy Brown Jr. scored a game-high 21 points, including a spectacular dunk in the second half, in the Bulldogs’ loss to the nationally ranked Trailblazers in a showcase game.

Brown dribbled past two defenders near midcourt and threw down a thunderous one-handed jam over 6-foot-11-inch Marvin Bagley III, the top-ranked player in the class of 2018, to electrify the crowd.

Brown’s play cut Centennial’s deficit to 45-40 with 8:20 left to play, but the Sierra Canyon, the No. 1 team in California, scored the next six points to take control.

Brown made 1 of 2 free throws with 22 seconds left to make the score 57-52, but the Bulldogs couldn’t get any closer. Isaiah Banks added 12 points for Centennial.

Bagley had 18 points to lead the Trailblazers, and UCLA signee Cody Riley added 13 points for Sierra Canyon.

Clark 53, Putnam City West (Okla.) 44 — At Gorman, Jalen Hill had 11 of his team-high 15 points in the second half, and the Chargers rallied to defeat the Patriots in the consolation bracket.

Antwon Jackson had 14 points, and Ian Alexander added eight of his 12 points after halftime.

The Chargers outscored Putnam City West 33-17 in the second half to erase a seven-point deficit.

Rondel Walker led the Patriots with 10 points.

Bingham (Utah) 73, Desert Pines 52 — At Gorman, Capri Uzan had a game-high 24 points in the Jaguars’ loss to the Miners in the consolation bracket.

Derrick Coleman added 10 points for Desert Pines, which trailed 41-19 at halftime.

Lleyton Parker finished with 17 points and made three of Bingham’s 10 3-pointers.

Dason Youngblood had 10 of his 16 points in the first half, and Branden Carlson scored 10 for the Miners.

ORLEANS DIVISION

American Fork (Utah) 68, Coronado 61 — At Gorman, Trey Hurlburt made six 3-pointers and finished with 22 points in the Cougars’ loss to the Cavemen in the winner’s bracket.

Kennedy Koehler and Will Weems each scored 11 for Coronado.

The Cougars trailed by as many as 12 points early in the second half, but Freddy Reeves made a 3-pointer in transition to cap a 14-4 run that cut American Fork’s lead to 47-45.

Hurlburt’s 3-pointer brought Coronado within 56-50 with 5:25 remaining, and the Cougars trailed 61-54 before Rob Crowther’s basket put the Cavemen up 63-54 with three minutes left.

Crowther had 13 of his 16 points in the second half for American Fork. Isaac Johnson, a 6-10 sophomore center, had a team-high 20 points, and Trey Stewart added nine points, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer that gave the Cavemen a 31-24 lead at halftime.

Lynwood (Calif.) 54, Durango 44 — At Faith Lutheran, Jesse Ramirez, Kieth Carlton and Noel Scott each had 11 points to lead the Knights over the Trailblazers.

Anthony Hunter had 16 points to lead Durango. Zyare Ruffin scored 12 for the Trailblazers, who led 19-17 at the half.

GATORADE DIVISION

Shadow Ridge 85, Campbell County (Wyo.) 84 — At Desert Oasis, Isaiah Williams had an assist and a blocked shot in the final 13 seconds of overtime to lift the Mustangs over the Camels.

Williams assisted on Bricin Ford’s layup with 13 seconds left that gave Shadow Ridge the lead. Williams then blocked a shot with two seconds to play to seal the victory.

James Fuller scored 30 points to lead the Mustangs. Kevin Branch added 24 points, Ford scored 18 and Williams had 10 points.

Campbell County’s Trey Hladky hit seven 3-pointers and scored 49 points.

Spring Valley 88, Green Valley 74 — At Desert Oasis, Keelan Wickersham had 25 points as the Grizzlies defeated the Gators.

Ryan Frazier added 23 points, and Joseph Johnson scored 19 for Spring Valley.

Eric Johnson paced Green Valley with 23 points. Cooper Burgess added 16 points, and Michael Jackson scored 10 for the Gators.

Rex Putnam (Ore.) 64, Desert Oasis 55 — At Desert Oasis, Jacob Halladin scored 17 points as the Kingsmen topped the Diamondbacks.

K.J. Mixon added 15 points for Rex Putnam, which led 38-20 at the half.

Jacob Heese scored 32 points to lead Desert Oasis.

NIKE DIVISION

Cheyenne 54, Price (Calif.) 40 — At Faith Lutheran, Dewayne Alexander scored 13 points as the Desert Shields defeated the Knights.

Ke’Shawn Hall added 12 points for Cheyenne, which led 24-22 at the half.

Gary Harris led Price with 12 points.

Bellermine-Jefferson (Calif.) 86, Agassi Prep 84 — At Faith Lutheran, Tomas Butkus had 34 points as the Guards edged the Stars.

Akeemis Williams led Agassi Prep with 24 points, and teammate Daniel Plummer scored 22. The Stars led 40-37 at the half.

Villa Park (Calif.) 78, Palo Verde 60 — At Faith Lutheran, Julien Franklin scored 33 points as the Spartans topped the Panthers.

Brian Sullivan scored 18 points to lead Palo Verde, and Crew Peterson had 15 points for the Panthers.

Morningside (Calif.) 72, Mojave 55 — At Faith Lutheran, Isaiah Hawk had 24 points to power the Monarchs over the Rattlers.

Tyrique Watson led Mojave with 14 points, and teammate Tyreon Ward scored 10.

Payson (Utah) 74, Coral Academy 52 — At Faith Lutheran, Bryce Wilberg had 28 points to lead the Lions over the Falcons.

Hagen Wright added 17 points for Payson, which led 32-31 at the half.

Ryan Djino led Coral Academy with 21 points and 15 rebounds, and teammate Isaiah Spears had 15 points and 10 boards.

Lincoln (Colo.) 59, Western 40 — At Faith Lutheran, Moses Hughe had 21 points as the Lancers topped the Warriors.

Anthony Dodson led Western with 12 points.