Foothill, Cheyenne follow dreams

For most of the year, Lawlor Events Center on the UNR campus is the home to sporting events and concerts.

But a group of area high school basketball players from Foothill and Cheyenne hopes Lawlor is a place where dreams come true.

The Falcons (23-8) and Desert Shields (18-7) will represent Southern Nevada in the Class 4A boys state basketball tournament, which begins today in Reno.

"There's nothing else like it. I've played my whole life for this opportunity," Foothill senior Ben Green said. "These are the two biggest games of my life, I'd have to say."

Cheyenne will play Northern Region runner-up Douglas

(21-10) in the first semifinal at 4:40 p.m., and Foothill will meet Northern champ Reno (24-6) at 8. The championship game is set for 8 p.m. Friday.

Foothill and Cheyenne flew a bit under the radar this season. Fans focused on Mojave and Bishop Gorman in the Sunset Region and on defending region champ Canyon Springs in the Sunrise, but it's the Falcons and Desert Shields who advanced to the state semifinals.

"Definitely people were looking more toward Gorman and Canyon Springs," said Green, whose team is making its first state appearance since 2004. "But I thought we proved it that we were the best team in the Sunrise. In the (region) tournament, we knocked off three hard teams, and I think we showed we deserve to play in the state game."

The Falcons draw a difficult opponent. The Huskies have won 19 consecutive games, and they haven't lost in 2008. The last team to beat Reno? Foothill, on Dec. 29 in Palm Springs, Calif.

"It's a double-edged sword," Falcons coach Kevin Soares said of facing a team his squad beat this season. "It can give us a little overconfidence. Hopefully that won't happen. But it's also nice to know you're playing a team you can beat."

The Falcons will need to find a way to slow at least one of Reno's two stars: 6-foot-8-inch senior forward Olek Czyz and 5-11 junior guard Austin Morgan.

Czyz, who has signed with Duke, had 32 points in the first meeting, and Morgan scored 27.

Reno's size also might cause Foothill problems. The Huskies have six players between 6-4 and 6-8. The Falcons don't have a player taller than 6-4.

"My dad used to always tell me there are two things you can't teach, and that's size and speed," Soares said. "And I'll take speed any day in this game. We're a lot faster, we're a lot more athletic than people give us credit for, and hopefully that'll play to our advantage."

One advantage Reno will have is the crowd. Soares estimated the Huskies drew between 5,000 and 6,000 at Lawlor when they won the state title in 2006. To help prepare his team, he has been playing loud recordings of crowd noise during practice.

"It's going to be intense," senior point guard Earl Jones said. "It's going to be great, though."

Like Foothill, Cheyenne brings a group of seniors that has long thought of state tournament success. Ricky Henry, Christian Lightbourne, Eric Leider and Demario Harris have spent four years in the program.

"I've been dreaming of this ever since my freshman year," Lightbourne said after his team won the Sunset title. "Me, Ricky, Eric, Demario, we've been playing on the same team since our freshman year. We're like brothers. We said we were going to win freshman year, and now we have."

But Cheyenne coach Teral Fair is quick to point out his team isn't ready to settle for winning the Sunset Region.

"It's a great accomplishment for the school and for the kids," Fair said. "We talked, even at the beginning of the season, that the state championship was our goal. So we've still got a little bit of unfinished business."

Douglas brings size with 6-7, 230-pound center Jeff Nady leading the way. An all-state football player, Nady averages 19 points for the Tigers, and Douglas hopes that low-post game will help offset Cheyenne's quickness.

"We'll take advantage of our size, and we'll have to help each other on defense to make sure nobody gets taken advantage of," Douglas coach Corey Thacker said.

Fair hopes his team plays to its strengths.

"Our hope is that our athleticism and our lack of size will kind of force our hand into playing a more full-court style," Fair said. "That will serve us better.

"I've told our kids all year that our best is better than anybody else's best. When we play at the top of our level, we're a tough out."

Contact Prep Sports Editor Damon Seiters at dseiters@reviewjournal.com or (702) 380-4587.