Schools’ quests for Reno begins

Adam Candee

Monday, Feb. 17, 2003 | 10:03 a.m.

Prep playoff schedule

4A boys playoffs

Sunrise Region

Games are Tuesday at 7 p.m.

(SE-4) Silverado at (NE-1) Rancho

(NE-3) Las Vegas at (SE-2) Coronado

(SE-3) Foothill at (NE-2) Valley

(NE-4) Desert Pines at (SE-1) Green Valley

Sunset Region

Games are Wednesday at 7 p.m.

(SW-4) Western at (NW-1) Cheyenne

(NW-3) Centennial at (SW-2) Durango

(SW-3) Sierra Vista at (NW-2) Palo Verde

(NW-4) Mojave at (SW-1) Bishop Gorman

4A girls playoffs

Sunrise Region

Games are Wednesday at 7 p.m.

(SE-4) Foothill at (NE-1) Las Vegas

(NE-3) Valley at (SE-2) Coronado

(SE-3) Silverado at (NE-2) Chaparral

(NE-4) Desert Pines at (SE-1) Green Valley

Sunset Region

Games are Tuesday unless noted

(SW-4) Sierra Vista/Durango* at (NW-1) Centennial (Wednesday)

(NW-3) Palo Verde at (SW-2) Western

(SW-3) Bonanza at (NW-2) Mojave

(NW-4) Cheyenne at (SW-1) Bishop Gorman

* To be determined by one-game playoff on Tuesday

The regular season is over and Reno is just a week away. In between, the mad scramble for 10 berths in the 4A State Tournament (five boys, five girls) takes hold, beginning Tuesday at various sites around the Valley.

Here's what to expect from Tuesday's quarterfinals through Saturday's championships games: BOYS Sunrise Region

The Jaguars rank among the most underachieving teams in town this season, but the playoffs present a chance to right some wrongs. They will have to go through the high-powered Gators frontcourt to do so, though. It is no secret that Green Valley will try to keep the game a halfcourt battle, where Mitch Platt and Ron Dunlap can operate in the paint most effectively. Desert Pines has the talent to push the tempo with Tony Williams, and Shyon Clark must make his senior playoff campaign a memorable one. An upset here is not out of the question.

Meet the overachievers, as well as the two teams no one wants to see in these playoffs. The Lions and the Panthers are surpassing expectations, but in different ways. Sierra Vista can hang with anyone when its long-range shooters are on, while Palo Verde employs a scrapping, defense-first style that frustrates opponents. Coach Phil Clarke needs his young Panthers to mature quickly in these playoffs, where they will likely have to go through some combination of Cheyenne, Bishop Gorman, and Durango to get to Reno.

Green Valley and Las Vegas are favorites to represent this region at state, but the Vikings and Cougars could make some noise. The Vikings have been tantalizingly close to breaking through, and you get the feeling that one big win could propel them. Yolanda Johnson and Jenee Webb must push Valley to achieve its potential. For undersized Coronado, the backcourt of Erica Santigate and Marissa DeAngelis must carry the scoring load.

Did anyone notice Bonanza's final week of the season? The Bengals took division champion Gorman to overtime before losing, then came back to down Western. Bonanza is an underrated third seed at 21-7, but it may have caught a break with that seeding -- the Bengals are guaranteed to avoid Centennial until the region final. Lyndsay Gensler and Jen Davey are capable of carrying the Bengals for stretches, and Cassie Lee and Mahina Gago must do the dirty work. Mojave needs a monstrous game from Sequoia Holmes.