Foothill’s Perry propels Falcons in Sunrise opener

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Feb. 15, 2001 | 10:21 a.m.

The play wasn't supposed to come his way, but when Foothill's Harvey Perry got the ball with time winding down Wednesday, the freshman knew exactly what to do with it.

Perry calmly worked his way into the lane and banked in a tough off-balance jumper as the final buzzer sounded, sending his Falcons to a 58-56 win over host Valley in round one of the 4A Sunrise Region Boys Basketball Tournament.

"(The play) broke down as soon as the ball came in," Foothill coach Kevin Soares said. "We wanted to get the ball into (guard) Dave Lainhart's hands; he had a mismatch with a bigger guy on him. He was supposed to shoot the three or penetrate, but it broke down and Harvey ended up with the ball."

Offered Perry: "I was just trying to draw the foul. It came down to making a shot."

Foothill (19-10) might not have been in a position to win the game in regulation had it not been for an equally big play on the other end of the court. With the teams tied at 56, Valley (17-10) attempted to run off most of the final 1:18 to set up for a final shot.

But as soon as the Vikings got the ball to leading scorer Sam Jackson, the Falcons trapped him along the sideline. Jackson tried to pass, but Foothill's Derek Freeman stepped in for the steal to give the visitors the ball with 15 seconds left.

Jackson finished with 25 points to lead all scorers, with Foothill's Lainhart and Kevin Marshall tallying 23 and 18, respectively.

Foothill advances to the final four in a wide-open regional that will send three teams to next week's 4A State Tournament in Reno.

"That's the great thing about the Sunrise -- there are no Gormans or Westerns here," Soares said. "We're playing for three spots, and on any given night any of these teams can win."

Next up for the Falcons: a semifinal matchup with fellow second-year school Desert Pines (17-5) Friday at 4:45 p.m. The Jaguars moved on with a 55-47 come-from-behind win over Silverado Wednesday night, holding the Skyhawks to two second-quarter points as they rallied from an early deficit. Maurice Thomas netted 19 points for Desert Pines.

On the other side of the bracket, Las Vegas (19-11) moved one step closer to a second straight trip to state, defeating Chaparral 56-41. Jeremy Atwater set the tone defensively with three early blocks, and the Wildcats pulled away with an 8-0 run to start the second quarter.

Las Vegas point guard Martell Shelton finished with 17 points to lead all scorers, with Terrance Ruffen tallying 14 points for the Cowboys (14-10).

The Wildcats will face Green Valley (21-9) in Friday's second semifinal at 8:15 p.m. The Gators knocked off Rancho (2-19) 60-43 in Wednesday's final game behind 23 points and 13 rebounds from Ron Dunlap.

On Wednesday, the Bulldogs (18-3-1) got past Green Valley (19-4-1) 1-0, with Nickie Olson scoring the lone goal midway through the first half off an assist from Racquel Bray.

The Gaels (16-4-3) moved on with a 3-0 win over Silverado (15-7-4) behind a trio of second-half goals: two from Jessica Brown and one from Debbie White.

The two teams will square off Friday at 6 p.m. at the Bettye Wilson Soccer Complex just north of Cimarron-Memorial High School.