Spring Valley shows off another weapon

For the past season and a half, opponents of the Spring Valley girls basketball team have focused on trying to contain Essence Booker and Kayla Harris.

The Grizzlies showed Friday that's an outdated game plan.

Alyssa Scott had 22 points in her second game after becoming eligible this week, and Spring Valley rolled to a 70-45 victory over host Faith Lutheran in a rematch of last season's Division I-A state final.

"Talk about a kid who has a work ethic," Grizzlies coach Billy Hemberger said of Scott. "She just wants it so bad, and to see it pay off for her is huge. She's that spot-up shooter. That's kind of what we've been missing, that third spot-up shooter off Essence and Kayla. And now it's pick your poison on who you want to guard."

Scott, who transferred from Bishop Gorman last year, led the Grizzlies (18-3, 7-0 Sunset League) in scoring in her debut Thursday and came off the bench to provide a spark against Faith Lutheran (12-6, 4-2).

The sophomore made five 3-pointers, including three in the third quarter, and finished 7-for-11 from the field.

Booker tallied 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while Harris added 14 points, seven assists, seven steals and four rebounds with UNLV women's basketball coach Kathy Olivier in attendance to see the standout sophomore guards.

This was the first meeting between the teams this season after they played four times last year, with the Grizzlies emerging victorious each time. The Crusaders visit Spring Valley on Friday for the rematch.

"It's a cliche that every coach talks about is we're going to play one way," Hemberger said. "I didn't hide anything, I didn't keep anything back. I felt like I've put these girls in a situation to where we've had such tough games that now — Faith is a great team, and we just had to execute."

Spring Valley dictated the tempo for much of the game and hurried the Crusaders into 35 turnovers. The Grizzlies overturned a first-quarter deficit with a 17-0 run to go up 25-11 early in the second quarter and then closed the half on a 17-5 surge.

Scott knocked down two 3-pointers in the final 2:21 of the second quarter, and Booker banked in a shot from halfcourt just before the buzzer to put Spring Valley on top 42-22 at halftime.

Bryanna Neagle had 12 points and six rebounds to lead Faith Lutheran, and Sam Caruth added 11 points and seven rebounds.

Faith Lutheran cut the Grizzlies' lead to 42-27 in the opening minute of the third quarter but never got closer than 24 points in the fourth.

"Early on in the game they definitely slowed down, and that's why it was a close game. You've got to credit them," Hemberger said. "We're going to do what we do. We're going to run. We're going to press. There's no shock to that. We're going to throw tons of different looks."

Contact reporter David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidSchoenLVRJ