Major sets pace for Las Vegas

Juwan Major and the Las Vegas boys basketball team knew their plan coming into Thursday's game against No. 7 Foothill wasn't necessarily a lofty one.

With two starters at least 6 feet 4 inches tall, the Wildcats scheme to use their size as an advantage seemed reasonable.

But it nearly became a tall order.

"We wanted to give our bigs the ball and play inside-out," Major said. "Unfortunately some of us got in foul trouble. But in the second half, we passed to the bigs, made some cuts and got some open shots."

With 6-5 center Aziz Leeks in foul trouble for most of the first half, Las Vegas showcased its athleticism to overcome a physical Foothill squad in a 66-60 win.

"Foothill's a good program," Las Vegas coach Jason Wilson said. "They're scrappy and they play solid defense."

As Las Vegas (3-2) sprinted up and down the court, creating plenty of fast-break opportunities in the first half, Foothill forced the Wildcats into 12 turnovers.

Las Vegas, though, benefiting from a glaring size advantage in the post, attacked the glass and limited the Falcons' second-chance opportunities.

"We're really athletic," said Major, who tallied 11 of his 20 points in the first quarter. "I think we can do anything. I think our team is really good at rebounding and shooting the ball. People think just because we're big, we don't have that 3-point shot."

The Wildcats' strong perimeter play, shooting 61 percent (16-for-26) from the field in the first half, helped them build an eight-point halftime advantage.

"We told the guys at halftime that that might be a little bit of fool's gold," Wilson said. "I don't know that we shoot that well all the time. We do have some good shooters who can knock down shots. But, again, I told them that we can't rely on that outside shot."

The Falcons (3-3) ended the third quarter with an 11-2 run, highlighted by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by junior Ian Ellis, to pull within 52-50.

That was the closet Foothill got.

The Falcons couldn't overcome a turnover-plagued fourth quarter, in which both squads had trouble hanging onto the ball. Las Vegas headed to the foul line twice in the final 25 seconds to put the game out of reach.

Leo Goodman scored 17 points and Re'Kwon Smith 12 for the Wildcats.

"Hopefully this gives them a little bit of confidence that we can play with the good teams," Wilson said. "Everybody respects Foothill, and rightfully so, because they're well coach and their kids play hard."

Senior forward Chris Echols led the Falcons with 16 points. Senior guard Brannon Cresanto contributed 11 points for Foothill, and teammate Elijah Smith chipped in 10 points.

Contact reporter John W. Scafetta at jscafetta@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0430.