Cheyenne gets it done in the end

Cheyenne's boys basketball players were true entertainers on Monday night -- they kept things interesting right up to the end.

The Desert Shields led by double-digits throughout most of the second half before poor foul shooting kept Spring Valley in the game. But Cheyenne was able to overcome its struggles for a 76-68 road win in the Sunset Region quarterfinals.

"We always want to give the fans their money's worth," Cheyenne coach Teral Fair said. "We don't want people leaving early."

The Desert Shields (16-7) play defending Sunset champ Mojave (26-1) in the semifinals at 8 p.m. on Thursday at Palo Verde in a rematch of last season's Sunset title game.

Cheyenne led 66-56 with just over two minutes to play when it was deserted by its shooting stroke. The Desert Shields were 10-for-20 from the line in the final 2:03 as the Grizzlies began fouling on every possession.

Cheyenne finally made 5 of 6 in the final 32 seconds to seal the win.

Elijah Johnson had 24 points and seven rebounds to lead Cheyenne. The junior point guard was key in orchestrating a patient second-half attack against Spring Valley's 2-3 zone.

"Elijah had a great game," Fair said. "He really grew up a lot, being very poised, very composed on the floor and taking a leadership role. And that's what we're going to need the rest of the way."

Once Cheyenne forced the Grizzlies out of their zone, Johnson and junior guard Demetric Williams used their quickness for easy drives to the basket.

"We can usually put five guys out there on the floor where we'll have an advantage at one position," Fair said.

Williams finished with 17 points, and Ricky Henry scored 14 for Cheyenne, which knocked off a higher-seeded Southwest Division team in the first round for the second consecutive year. Cheyenne finished third in the Northwest Division.

Jason Walter led Spring Valley with 18 points despite being saddled with foul trouble most of the night. Jesse Chippoletti added 15 points, and Tenacious Gibson had 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Grizzlies.

• Durango 91, Palo Verde 86 -- At Palo Verde, Ron Barnes' 10-footer as time expired in the fourth quarter forced overtime and helped the Trailblazers (12-12) to upset Palo Verde (15-10).

Marcus Falley scored 30 points for Durango, including a 6 of 6 effort from the free-throw line in overtime.

Jamal Crook added 24 points for Durango, which advances to meet Bishop Gorman in a regional semifinal at 4:40 p.m. Thursday at Palo Verde. Barnes scored 16, and D.J. Stennis 10 for the Trailblazers.

David Rawlinson led the Panthers with 31 points. Liloa Nobriga added 19 points, and Aaron May scored 16 for Palo Verde.

• Mojave 61, Bonanza 46 -- At Mojave, Anthony Marshall scored 19 points, and Darian Norris and Alex Montgomery each scored 12 to help the Rattlers advance past Bonanza (8-14).

Mojave used a 13-4 second-quarter run to open up a 30-17 halftime lead. Montgomery also grabbed 10 rebounds.

Landry Peterson led the Bengals with 16 points.

• Bishop Gorman 75, Cimarron-Memorial 64 -- At Gorman, Czar Robotham led a balanced attack with 18 points as the Gaels (25-4) downed Cimarron (21-10).

Jordan Hill added 17 points and 10 rebounds for Gorman, and teammate Quintin Dailey had 16 points.