Blog: Eldorado wins another close game, surprise participant in Sunrise finals

By Ray Brewer (contact), Jesse Granger

Published Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016 | 4:15 p.m.

Updated Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016 | 11:37 p.m.

The Eldorado High basketball team won four games last season. Most sports at the Northeast Las Vegas school struggle to make the playoffs, let alone make a splash in the playoffs.

Yes, it’s safe to say Eldorado will be the surprise participant in Friday’s Sunrise Regional championship game. The Sundevils knocked off another perennial power today, riding a masterful 29-point performance from senior guard Carl Crayon to eliminate Foothill 68-64 in the regional semifinals. Eldorado at 7 p.m. Friday plays Coronado for the Sunrise title and a spot in next week’s state tournament.

Wednesday, Eldorado prevailed in a back-and-forth affair against Canyon Springs, the three-time defending Sunrise champs.

“They understood they had to do more to be successful,” Eldorado coach Reggie Ingram said. “It was the memory of the (four-win) season.”

The Sundevils led 51-43 entering the fourth quarter against Foothill, but Crayon and senior Shane Barnes were saddled with four personal fouls. That opened the door for Foothill to cut the deficit and ultimately take the lead, using a pair of 3-pointers from freshman Dylan Hushaw for a 59-56 advantage with less than four minutes to play.

But Eldorado didn’t panic. It had been in this situation before.

Between overtime games and others not decided until the final minute, a majority of the Sundevils’ games have come down to the wire. The experience showed.

Barnes and Crayon drained consecutive 3-pointers with about three minutes to play, and Eldorado held on the rest of the way. Foothill had numerous chances to tie or take the lead in the final seconds, but missed a few layups and committed a turnover with less than 10 seconds to play.

“We are so used to it, we know what we have to do,” Crayon said of the close games. “We know we have to buckle down and play good defense.”

Eldorado will have little time to enjoy its victory. In less than 24 hours, it will take on a tough Coronado squad that entered the regional as the favorite after going undefeated in the Southeast League for a second straight season.

The Eldorado players, though, don’t lack confidence.

“We keep fighting even though everyone is doubting us and everyone thinks we can’t do it,” Crayon said. “We are sticking together as a family.”

Gorman closes strong to beat upset-minded Desert Oasis

Four-time defending state champion Bishop Gorman might have won by more than 20 points today against Desert Oasis in the Sunset Regional semifinals. But the Gaels’ 75-54 win at Arbor View was anything but leisurely.

Desert Oasis stormed out of the gates and led the Gaels 20-15 midway through the second quarter, but it wasn’t able to continue the strong play. Gorman outscored Desert Oasis 44-27 in the second half and put the game away late with free throws.

“They gave us all we could handle,” Bishop Gorman coach Grant Rice said. “Desert Oasis gave their all and played a great game. Coach Fretz is one of the best coaches in the city and we knew he would have them ready for us and they were.”

Chuck O’Bannon led Bishop Gorman with 21 points and six rebounds. He scored eight points in the third quarter during the stretch where the Gaels finally pulled away.

“That is Chuck,” Rice said. “We talked at halftime about getting to the basket, and we called plays to get Chuck on the run where he can get to the basket. Chuck was able to do that and get a couple layups in there.”

McDonalds All-American and Gonzaga commit Zach Collins played limited minutes due to foul trouble, and finished with nine points and 10 rebounds before fouling out with 5:51 left in the fourth quarter.

“It took a complete group effort,” Rice said. “With Zach in foul trouble other guys had to step up and I was proud of those guys.”

Drevin Cannon carried the Diamondbacks with 19 points and nine rebounds, and Aamondae Coleman added 15 points.

The win puts the Gaels into the Sunset championship game on Friday, and sets up a potential blockbuster matchup with Centennial, who plays Durango later tonight.

Troy Brown leads Centennial past Durango

Troy Brown scored 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead Centennial to a 65-48 win over Durango tonight.

Brown usually plays with a pass-first mentality but approached this game differently, scoring eight of the Bulldogs’ first 12 points.

“It was a playoff atmosphere and some guys get nervous during the game, so I tried to step it up tonight and be what the team needed me to be,” Brown said.

Durango kept it close early, trailing by only five at halftime, but Centennial’s defense tightened its grip in the third quarter, allowing the Bulldogs to pull away.

The Trailblazers scored only seven points in the third quarter and had a drought of nearly seven minutes without a point.

“We needed to control (Chase) Ruiz, and Isaiah Banks did a great job on him,” said Centennial coach Todd Allen. “That was our focus and the kids really bought in and did a good job on him.”

Ruiz was uncharacteristically off-target from long range, and scored only four points in the first half for Durango.

Jake Hutchings recorded another double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds and dominated the glass along with Brown.

“That’s the key for us,” Allen said. “We got guys that can go get the ball for us, especially Troy. We told them that (Durango) was going to be shooting a lot of threes, so we needed to track down the boards.”

The win sets up the matchup that has loomed all season. Centennial and Bishop Gorman will tip off at 7 p.m. Friday in the Sunset Regional Final.

“We just have to do what we do,” Allen said. “It’s a short time to prepare for it, but the kids are excited for it. We just have to go out there and give it our best, and see if we can be there in the fourth quarter.”

Strong second half carries Coronado into Sunrise finals

The Coronado High basketball team didn’t panic.

The Southeast League champion Cougars trailed Silverado at halftime today in the Sunrise Regional semifinals after Silverado hit a 3-pointer the buzzer.

“All year long these guys have had a goal (of state),” Coronado coach Jeff Kaufman said. “They play like men. They don’t whine; they don’t cry. It’s a game of runs.”

In the second half, Coronado finally went on its run, leading by as many as 13 points in a 64-55 victory.

Jake Desjardins had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Kennedy Koehler had 17 points and 15 rebounds. Bryce Savoy helped turn the tide of the game for Coronado by playing tight defense, which led to turnovers and baskets in transition.

In the first half, the game was played at a slow pace to favor Silverado. In the second half, Coronado took it up a notch and raced to a win. It plays the Foothill-Eldorado winner at 7 p.m Friday in the Sunrise championship game.

“Savoy went on a rant defensively, man,” Kaufman said.

Clark cruises past Chaparral for spot at state tournament

Each season, Clark High basketball coach Chad Beeten promotes a few freshmen from the lower levels to the varsity team for the playoffs. The goal is to give those players an up-close experience of the trials and tribulations of postseason.

Three years ago, those freshmen were Darius Jackson and Keyshaun Webb — two leaders of this year’s team.

Clark had no troubles with Chaparral today in the Division I-A Southern Region semifinals, opening a big lead early and cruising to a 72-37 victory to earn its fourth straight appearance at state. Webb had a team-high 13 points and Jackson scored 11 for the two-time defending state champions.

This year’s team, though, is different. The Chargers had just four returners and had to rely on unproven players to continue the winning tradition.

“It’s real neat for the kids. Today, we won the important one,” Beeten said. “We’re going to Reno with a chance to win the state championship.”

Antown Jackson added 11 points for the Chargers, who play Saturday against Desert Pines or Faith Lutheran for the Southern Region title.

Regional semifinals preview

Two Las Vegas-area high school basketball teams will earn berths tonight into next week’s state tournament in Reno.

The Division I-A Southern Regional semifinals feature two-time defending state champion Clark against Chaparral, and 2013 champion Desert Pines against Faith Lutheran. It’s an easy formula: Win and book your travel to Reno; lose and the season is over.

Clark and Desert Pines have represented the Southern Region the past four seasons at state, but Faith Lutheran and Chaparral aren’t far behind. Each took second in their leagues during the regular season.

In Division I, the Sunrise and Sunset regions will contest their semifinal games tonight. Just the regional champions, which will be decided Friday, advance to Reno.

In the Sunset, four-time defending state champion Bishop Gorman takes on Desert Oasis, and Centennial faces Durango.

Gorman beat Desert Oasis by nearly 30 points earlier this season and shouldn’t be challenged. Centennial and Durango should be the game of the night — each team has strong players,and has had a great season.

In the Sunrise Region, No. 2 seed Eldorado takes on Foothill, and region favorite Coronado battles Silverado. Eldorado eliminated three-time defending Sunrise champion Canyon Springs Wednesday, clearing space for a new team — likely Coronado — to win the championship and advance to Reno.

We’ll keep you posted all night. Send us your updates and photos on Twitter using #702hshoops or #sunstandout.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21