Thompson steps up to power Centennial

When you are the third member of a backcourt that features Stanford-bound twins Malcolm and Marcus Allen, it’s easy to get lost in their shadow.

Centennial junior Khalil Thompson picked a great time to step into the spotlight on Thursday, knocking down eight 3-pointers in the Bulldogs’ 80-70 victory over Arbor View in a Division I Sunset Region semifinal at Durango High School.

Centennial (21-8) will meet Bishop Gorman (26-3) for the region title at 7 p.m. today at Durango.

Thompson made 8 of 10 attempts from beyond the arc, with five of them coming during a third quarter in which Centennial held a 24-14 scoring edge.

All of his 24 points came on 3-pointers.

“It felt great. I love atmospheres like this, and I strive in these moments. I love these moments right here,” said Thompson, who played his freshman season at Arbor View. “Every time I play them, I’m ready to play.”

It was the kind of performance his teammates and coaches have been expecting from Thompson, who had been 15-for-82 from 3-point range before the game and hadn’t made more than two from long range in a game this season.

“Teams have been (playing) triangle-and-two (defense) on us, and we’ve been off on our shooting, but he stepped up tonight and made some big shots,” Centennial coach Todd Allen said. “He’s dead-on in practice. We keep telling him, ‘Save those for the game.’

“Tonight, he saved the best for last, which is great.”

As usual, there was plenty of support from the twins.

Marcus Allen scored 25 points, and Malcolm Allen had 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. The pair combined for 15 of the Bulldogs’ 20 points in the fourth quarter.

Junior Justin Burks scored 28 points for Arbor View (20-8), which led 37-36 after a back-and-forth first half. Terrell Butler added 16 points for the Aggies.

■ Bishop Gorman 71, Palo Verde 55 — Sophomore Stephen Zimmerman had 17 points and 16 rebounds in the second semifinal to lead the Gaels into today’s championship game.

Zimmerman got help inside from fellow sophomore Chase Jeter, who had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

“Between Zimm and Chase Jeter, I thought they both did a great job tonight,” Gorman coach Grant Rice said.

After falling behind 9-6, Gorman went on a 22-2 run that spanned the first and second quarters to break open the game.

Rashad Muhammad hit four first-half 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 22 points for the Gaels.

Eris Winder led Palo Verde (13-11) with 14 points in his final game.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.