GATOR CLASSIC: Supporting cast leads Spring Valley to title

Spring Valley girls basketball coach Billy Hemberger rattled off several names who were key to the Grizzlies' run to the Gator Winter Classic title.

The usual suspects, Essence Booker and Kayla Harris, never came out of Hemberger's mouth.

Lynnae Wilds scored the go-ahead basket with two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, and the Grizzlies' supporting cast carried them to a 62-56 victory over host Green Valley in the championship game on Wednesday night.

Wilds finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, and Kalynn Lesley made three 3-pointers and had 11 points for the defending Division I-A state champions, who won their final three games in the tournament by a total of 10 points.

"Kalynn Lesley was out of this world today. Alana (Walker), Lynnae, Ella Zanders. We got stuff from people ... " Hemberger said. "They just played with their hearts. That was huge."

Booker and Harris were held in check by Green Valley — the duo combined for six points in the first half — and the Gators led 55-54 after Milena Palor went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line with 2:21 left. But Wilds scored inside after a nice spin move, and Harris went 4-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final 48.6 seconds to extend Spring Valley's lead.

Harris had 10 of her 16 points in the second half and added 10 rebounds, six steals and four assists. Booker posted 10 points, seven rebounds and seven assists before fouling out with 2:21 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Harris and Booker were named to the all-tournament team.

"I feel like we feel we faced every bit of adversity possible in this tournament, from early foul trouble putting us in an adverse situation to coming from behind big time," Hemberger said. "This one, the entire time coming from behind. ... At the end of the day, we found a way to win, and that's what it's about. The will to win. And that's only going to make us better, and that's what these tournaments do."

Brooke Haney led Green Valley with 21 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Yamilei Rodriguez added 19 points and 13 boards, and Ellee Barton scored 12 for the Gators.

Haney and Rodriguez also were selected to the all-tournament team.

"Those seniors that are at Green Valley, I coached them," Hemberger said. "Green Valley is a great program. I love those girls to death. We have a tremendous respect for each other."

Rodriguez dominated inside during the second quarter with 10 points and seven rebounds, and her 15-foot jumper gave the Gators a 30-19 lead late in the second quarter.

Green Valley went up 38-30 on Haney's 3-pointer with 3:10 left in the third quarter, but the Grizzlies answered with a 20-4 run to grab a 50-42 advantage on Booker's basket with six minutes to go in the fourth.

"We got out of this tournament healthy, and we got out of this tournament just getting over adverse situations and finding a way," Hemberger said. "Now the goal is to win state."

Foothill 41, Rancho 27 — Trinity Betoney finished with 16 points, and the Falcons topped the Rams in the Gold Bracket third-place game.

Kylie Vint added 12 points for Foothill, which opened the game on a 12-2 run.

Rancho got as close as 32-25 early in the fourth quarter, but Vint made a baseline jumper midway through the quarter and Katey Roquemore's 3-pointer with a little more than three minutes left put the Falcons up by 12 points.

Maureen Macato had 16 points to lead the Rams.

Betoney and Macato both were selected to the all-tournament team.

Spring Valley 50, Rancho 48 — Booker scored the go-ahead basket with three seconds remaining, and the Grizzlies rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit to edge the Rams in the Gold Bracket semifinals.

Booker finished with 24 points and picked up the scoring slack in the fourth quarter after Harris picked up her fifth foul near the four-minute mark. Harris added 14 points for Spring Valley.

Macato poured in a game-high 26 points for Rancho, which outscored the Grizzlies 17-9 in the third quarter and led 46-39 midway through the fourth quarter.

The Rams went into a stall on offense with a little more than four minutes remaining, but the strategy backfired as Spring Valley closed on an 11-2 run.

Macato made three 3-pointers and had 11 points in the first quarter. However, Rancho struggled at the free-throw line in the second quarter and trailed 28-23 at the break.

The Rams went 3-for-12 on free throws in the second quarter and made only 9 of 28 foul shots overall.

Green Valley 52, Foothill 48 — Barton had 16 points, and the Gators held off a late charge by the Falcons in the Gold Bracket semifinals.

Haney added 11 points for Green Valley, which led 43-34 at the end of three quarters.

Haney was 4-for-4 at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to help the Gators notch their first victory over Foothill since Dec. 16, 2010.

Betoney had 10 of her team-high 19 points in the first half. Vint added 10 points for the Falcons.

Dimond (Alaska) 40, Moapa Valley 36 — Tapanga Durham had a team-high 11 points, but the Pirates lost to the Lynx in the Silver Bracket title game.

Kinlee Marshall, who was named to the all-tournament team, added nine points for Moapa Valley and banked in a 3-pointer with 25.3 seconds remaining to cut Dimond's lead to 37-36. But the Lynx went 3-for-6 at the free-throw line in the final 17.1 seconds to hold on.

Matilda Thompson had eight points for Moapa Valley, which closed the first half on an 8-2 run to take a 16-15 lead at halftime.

Alexis Shipman had 10 of her 18 points in the first half for Dimond, and teammate Victoria Johansen scored 10.

White Pine 51, Spanish Springs 38 — Debra Kingston finished with 19 points, and the Bobcats used a big first quarter to beat the Cougars in a Silver Bracket game.

Emily Bischoff added 12 points for White Pine, which opened the game on a 17-4 run.

Moapa Valley 45, Spanish Springs 34 — Marshall had a team-high 11 points, and the Pirates used a big second quarter to beat the Cougars in a Silver Bracket game.

Marshall had six points in the second quarter as Moapa Valley used a 12-5 run to take a 23-13 halftime advantage.

Kaila Enosa added nine points for the Pirates.

Anhelica Shanrock led Spanish Springs with 18 points.

Dimond (Alaska) 62, White Pine 36 — Ashlyn Huntington had 15 points in the Bobcats' loss to the Lynx in Silver Bracket play.

Huntington was selected to the all-tournament team.

Whitney Shapp led Dimond with 17 points. Victoria Johansen added 11 points, and Alexis Shipman scored 10 for the Lynx, who opened the game on a 14-4 run.

Western 41, Malibu (Calif.) 24 — Destiny Gonzalez had 18 points to help the Warriors beat the Sharks in Silver Bracket action.

Gonzalez was an all-tournament pick.