Desert Oasis shows off balance, routs Basic in opener

The Desert Oasis girls basketball team had exactly one game before jumping into the teeth of its Southwest League schedule.

One chance to work out the kinks, one opportunity to get up to game speed.

It was more than enough.

All five Diamondbacks starters scored at least 10 points, and Desert Oasis used a 24-0 first-half run in its season opener to bury host Basic 66-48 Wednesday.

"We have our toughest two league games next week, and that's tough," Desert Oasis coach Laurie Evans said. "We had one of our preseason games canceled on us, so we had one game going into that. I couldn't have asked for a better effort."

The Diamondbacks open league play Monday against defending Class 4A state champion Bishop Gorman and face Southwest runner-up Sierra Vista on Dec. 16.

Getting a game under their belts before that was key. Playing well was a major bonus.

"We have some freshmen and a lot of sophomores," said Evans, whose team finished 12-13 overall and 8-8 in the Southwest last season. "This was huge for their confidence."

Mainly using a four-guard offense, the Diamondbacks went on a 24-0 run during a 6-minute, 27-second span in the first half to build a 24-1 lead.

Outside shooting by Tatiana Kearn, Auburn Smith and Sammi Tso opened driving lanes to the basket on offense. The Diamondbacks also were solid defensively, holding the Wolves to 1-for-15 shooting from the field in the first half.

"We always have to play bigger than we are, but our guards did a great job," Evans said. "They do an excellent job of switching and helping."

Kearn finished with 16 points. Trini Morgan scored 13, Tso 11 and Smith and Lenzi Cram 10 each.

Kailai Brantner paced Basic with 20 points and 11 rebounds, eight of those offensive. Brielle Wilke scored 11, all in the second half.

Contact reporter Bartt Davis at bdavis@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4587.