Southern Nevada schools sent packing in girls tourney

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Feb. 24, 2000 | 10:25 a.m.

RENO -- A near-perfect season had a very imperfect ending for the Centennial girls basketball team in the first round of the 4A State Basketball Tournament on Wednesday.

After posting a stunning 30-0 mark in their inaugural campaign, the Bulldogs suffered a fate that has become all too familiar for Southern Nevada girls squads over the past two decades -- an exit after the first day of competition.

Unlike its Las Vegas-area peers -- Cimarron-Memorial, Silverado and Las Vegas High -- Centennial managed to avoid a blowout loss at Reno's Lawlor Events Center. But after a 42-37 defeat at the hands of four-time defending state champion McQueen, the result was the same for the Bulldogs -- an early trip home.

"It's not the ending we had hoped for," Centennial coach Karen Weitz said. "The North is just more physical than we are, especially defensively. We've got to step up defensively and get as physical as they are."

Wednesday's turn of events was a crushing blow for Southern Nevada girls basketball, with this season's state title seemingly up for grabs after four straight years of dominance by the Lancers. Although it has been two decades since the last southern championship, a strong first-round showing in last year's tournament had given hope to Las Vegas-area coaches this season.

"I think it's really tough for the Vegas teams to come up here, totally out of their element," Weitz said. "I think it's difficult on high school kids to adjust to something like that."

In tonight's semifinal round, Carson will take on Galena at 5 p.m., with a matchup between Reno and McQueen slated for 8:10 p.m.

* CARSON 62, CIMARRON-MEMORIAL 40: The Spartans (16-8) were out of it from the opening tip, as the Senators (29-6) built a 22-3 lead after one quarter and rolled from there.

"Our kids didn't step up to our expectations," said Cimarron coach Gina Davis, whose club earned its berth in Reno with an upset of top-seeded Bishop Gorman in last week's Sunrise Region Tournament. "We never got the momentum."

Carson's senior duo of 6-0 Alyson Thurman (team-high 24 points) and 5-11 Pam Williams (15 points, 13 rebounds) had typically strong games, and the Senators also got a strong contribution from 5-11 junior Meghan Gradert, who finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.

"We knew those big girls were good," Davis said. "We had a hard time stopping them, and you can't rely on 3-pointers to keep you in a game."

Indeed, the Spartans cashed in on just 3-of-16 attempts from behind the arc, with all three conversions coming from point guard Riki McCarter (12 points). Nikki Richards wound up with 13 points, but went scoreless in the first half. Tori Ford also tallied 13 points for Cimarron.

* GALENA 51, SILVERADO 35: For the third straight year, the Skyhawks dropped their first-round state tournament contest, much to the dismay of coach Diane Hernandez.

"It's disappointing because we had such a great region tournament last week," she said. "I felt we came out sluggish. We didn't get into a rhythm all day. It was a disappointing loss -- to come up here and not be competitive."

After digging itself into a 24-16 hole before halftime, Silverado (29-6) got back into it early in the third quarter, pulling within four points, 28-24. Junior Nikki Hitchens keyed the comeback, scoring two baskets and assisting on another during the run.

As soon as it looked like the Lawlor crowd would be treated to a competitive half, however, the Grizzlies (26-6) took control again, burying the Skyhawks with a 13-0 surge of their own.

Hitchens finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds -- both team highs -- while fellow junior Jayme Connors wound up with seven point and eight rebounds.

"The bulk of our team are underclassmen, and it's good to know the opportunity may be there again next year," Hernandez said.

* RENO 80, LAS VEGAS 55: Like Cimarron earlier in the day, the Wildcats found themselves in a huge hole after the first quarter and never crawled out of it, falling behind 26-5 after the first eight minutes.

"I think it's going to be hard for teams to beat them," Las Vegas coach Annette Smith said, referring to the Northern Region champion Huskies -- the favorite to win the title. "They're a well-coached, well-balanced team."

Reno (24-7) got a strong game from senior Melissa Padgett, who was effective in the paint and on the perimeter en route to 21 points. Reserve Jennifer Koch was close behind with 19 points, including three 3-pointers.

"They outrebounded us, their whole team out-heighted us. They passed well, they moved the ball well, they shot the ball well from the outside," Smith said. "And it seemed like their first five players are as good as their next five players."

For Las Vegas (22-6), senior guard Jasmere Kirby -- Southern Nevada's leading scorer -- finished her career with another impressive scoring performance, racking up 32 points to lead all girls in round one.

* McQUEEN 42, CENTENNIAL 37: The Bulldogs missed three layups in the game's opening minutes, setting the tone for a dreadful shooting night in which they made just seven shots from the floor.

"We didn't play well," Weitz said. "We missed too many free throws and too many layups -- that's the bottom line."

Despite their shooting woes, the Bulldogs fought back from an early 18-6 deficit to make things competitive in the second half, thanks mainly to 40 trips to the free-throw line, where they converted 23 attempts.

Down 33-25 heading into the final quarter, Centennial pulled within a single point with a 7-0 run. But once again, poor shooting did in the first-year school, with the Bulldogs failing to make a field goal in the final five minutes.

"It's tough to be 30-0 coming into the state tournament," said McQueen coach Nick Brockovich, whose club improved to 19-10. "That's a lot of pressure to have on the line."

For Centennial, Rachael Schein finished with 12 points, while teammates Alyson Thurson, Jenna Palmer and Darci Sandoval each had seven rebounds. Point guard Tenecia Jackson wound up with six points, six rebounds and four steals.