Stars overcome Lincoln County guard, reach state tourney

When Agassi Prep last faced Lincoln County on Feb. 1, all Lynx senior guard Dantley Walker did was score a state-record 73 points to lead a victory over the Stars.

Agassi took another shot at slowing down Walker in the semifinals of the 2A Southern League tournament Friday at Durango High.

Walker -- who orally committed to UNLV on Tuesday -- was again as dynamic as advertised, scoring 56 points, but Agassi countered with a balanced attack to gain an 86-80 victory and clinch a berth in next week's state tournament.

The Stars (15-7) advanced to face Needles in the tournament championship game at 5 p.m. today at Durango.

"I am thrilled we made it to state now," Agassi coach William Hopkins said. "We have made it past that first hurdle. I am just thankful that they persevered. They got through this adversity, and I think they can breathe now."

Kalinn Jackson scored 22 points, Terrell Kemp had 21, Quincy Brown 17 and Anson Williams 10 to lead the Stars.

Despite that balance, the Stars had to make several big shots down the stretch to close out Walker and the Lynx.

After Walker scored on a drive and a free throw to give Lincoln a 69-66 lead with 5:23 to play, Jackson scored on a drive and a put-back, and Kemp hit a shot inside to cap an 8-0 run that gave the Stars a five-point lead.

Walker and Jackson exchanged baskets before Walker made his sixth 3-pointer to cut the Stars' lead to 79-76 with 2:12 left.

But Williams scored inside and was fouled, made the free throw and Agassi finished off the victory at the foul line.

"Once we started pushing the ball up the floor and getting easy baskets, I started to see the team encouraging each other. And that was a wonderful thing," Hopkins said.

"When we worked in practice, I said 'Even if (Walker) scores 80, we are going to score more.' I was not concerned if he set a record. We just had to contest all shots."

■ Needles 60, The Meadows 56 -- At Durango, Aaron Burns scored 24 points and sparked Needles' 14-point comeback in the second half in the semifinal of the 2A Southern League Tournament.

Ryan Andrews added 13 for Needles (17-6).

Needles coach Jeff Plank said he was proud of the way his team battled back behind its upperclassmen.

GIRLS

The determination of Needles forward Gena Chavira showed after her team trailed 21-16 at halftime, and the Mustangs rallied for a 40-37 victory over Mountain View in the Class 2A Southern League semifinals.

The Mustangs (24-3) play Lincoln County (16-9) in the championship game at 3:20 p.m. today at Durango.

"We started off slow, but then the girls picked it up and did good on adjusting offensively," Chavira said.

With Needles trailing 31-30, Chavira made a 3-pointer from the left wing with 6:09 left to give the Mustangs a lead they never gave up.

"All season long against this team we were sluggish offensively in the first half," Needles coach Manuel Calderon said. "Fortunately we hung around, and we knew we needed to get the ball in Gena's hands. We got a couple of nice open looks for her and she drained them."

Chavira scored eight of her 12 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed two crucial rebounds during the final two minutes, converting a put-back off teammate Chanler McCorkle's missed free throw.

Abby Chandler scored seven of her team-high 16 points in the third quarter for Needles. Holly Laswell added six points.

Mountain View junior guard Briana Marruffo led all scorers with 17 points, and Patrice Marshall added nine.

■ Lincoln County 49, Calvary Chapel 27 -- The Lynx led only 21-17 at halftime but pulled away to earn a spot in the league final.

Leti Escobedo propelled Lincoln County (16-9) with 15 points and headed a staunch defensive effort that led to 30 Calvary turnovers.

Melanie Florence scored 11 points and Lacee Babcock grabbed 10 rebounds for the Lynx.

Marrisa Bonnefin compiled 10 points and 11 rebounds for Calvary Chapel (13-13), and Kelsy Hannah added seven blocks.