Palo Verde overcomes mistakes, tops Sierra Vista in two OTs

Palo Verde's Jasmin Kiley knew what she had to do when she stepped to the free-throw line with 8.7 seconds left in the second overtime Tuesday.

Kiley, who had missed 9 of 10 free throws to that point, knew she had to sink at least one to seal a Panthers postseason win.

She hit the first, and Palo Verde went on to top host Sierra Vista 70-67 in the first round of the Sunset Region playoffs.

The win lifted the Panthers into the regional semifinals, where they will host Centennial at 6:20 p.m. Thursday. Bishop Gorman plays Legacy in the other semifinal at 3 p.m. Thursday.

"It was frustrating missing my free throws," said Kiley, who led the Panthers with 18 points. "But I knew I had to stay focused and buckle down."

The entire Panthers roster blew countless opportunities to break open the game. Palo Verde (15-7) missed 22 of 38 free throws on the night while turning the ball over 21 times.

"I think we were a little nervous," Palo Verde coach Phil Clarke said. "We've been here before, but we don't have a whole lot of senior leadership. We might have just gotten caught up in the atmosphere."

Palo Verde maintained a sizable lead throughout most of the fourth, but Sierra Vista's Jeanette Jackson led a late comeback. Jackson, who logged 28 points and eight rebounds, cut the Lions' deficit to 55-53 on a layup with 55 seconds left in regulation. Marley Wakeen sent the game into overtime with two free throws with 21 seconds left in regulation.

Sierra Vista (20-9) grabbed an early lead in the first overtime, but the Panthers' Dominique Bryant hit a layup with 22 seconds left in the extra period to force another overtime.

Palo Verde jumped ahead early in the period and clung to a 68-66 lead despite Kiley's failure to convert on four straight free throws. But the sophomore guard finally hit one with 8.7 seconds left and added an insurance point with another free throw seven seconds later.

■ Legacy 66, Bonanza 57 - At Legacy, Breanah Manley had 22 points, five rebounds and three steals to power the Longhorns (17-11).

Latia Matthews had 21 points and 11 rebounds for Legacy. Alice Pitts led the Bengals (15-8) with 20 points.

■ Bishop Gorman 73, Mojave 48 - At Gorman, freshman Tonisha Childress had 19 points to lead the Gaels (23-5).

Chelsie Pitt scored 16 points for Gorman, which rested leading scorer Aaryn Ellenberg.

Jazzmine Robinson led the Rattlers (14-9) with 21 points.

■ Centennial 81, Durango 19 - At Centennial, Courtney Hayes had 15 points, 16 rebounds and 11 steals as the Bulldogs (24-4) routed the Trailblazers (17-13).

Ashley Klemz had 21 points and Alexis Byrd 19 points, six assists and six steals for Centennial, which led 37-6 at halftime.