Collie not rusty in Silverado win

Wade Collie hadn't played in a basketball game in 10 days when he stepped onto Durango's floor Friday.

The time away must have done him wonders.

Collie had nine points and eight rebounds in just the first quarter of Silverado's game against Dorsey (Calif.), and he was far from done.

The 6-foot-5-inch senior forward had 32 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Skyhawks to a 68-56 win in the first round of the National Invitational tournament.

Silverado (10-2), which hadn't played since a 54-43 win over Basic on Dec. 16, will meet Mojave in a quarterfinal today at 11:30 a.m.

"He had a mental block in our first 11 games," Silverado coach Ron Childress said. "We had a walk-through today, and we talked about us only going as far as he takes us."

Even with Collie's quick start, the Skyhawks trailed 32-26 at halftime.

Collie promptly scored 10 points in the third quarter -- single-handedly outscoring Dorsey -- and nine more in the fourth to lead his team to the win.

"I just tried to block out all the negative things going on in the game and just do my job," Collie said.

He was effective in the key and on the perimeter and on defense.

"He did everything we needed him to do," Childress said. "He rebounded; he can shoot; he plays defense."

Collie compiled 12 defensive rebounds and helped the Skyhawks force 15 turnovers. The combination allowed Silverado to run its transition game to perfection. The Skyhawks had 10 transition layups against a team that appeared to be more athletic.

"We knew (Dorsey) would board and run," Childress said. "We prepared for it, and it worked out for us today."

James Lata added 11 points, seven in the fourth quarter, for the Skyhawks.

Jordan Mackie led Dorsey with 18 points.

Contact reporter Bartt Davis at bdavis@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5230.