Palo Verde gets rolling thanks to 3-pointers

Adam Candee

Thursday, Feb. 20, 2003 | 10:11 a.m.

Wednesday's playoff scores

Sunset Region girls quarterfinals

(NW-1) Centennial 98, (SW-4) Durango 29

Sunset Region boys quarterfinals

(NW-1) Cheyenne 70, (SW-4) Western 39

(SW-2) Durango 84, (NW-3) Centennial 65

(NW-2) Palo Verde 64, (SW-3) Sierra Vista 55

(SW-1) Bishop Gorman 67, (NW-4) Mojave 52

Sunrise Region girls quarterfinals

(NE-1) Las Vegas 55, (SE-4) Foothill 37

(SE-2) Coronado 58, (NE-3) Valley 56 (OT)

(NE-2) Chaparral 52, (SE-3) Silverado 51

(SE-1) Green Valley 44, (NE-4) Desert Pines 36

Phil Clarke acknowledges that his Palo Verde team does not exactly shoot the lights out, especially when top gunners Josh Steffen and Mitch Smith struggle, as they have of late.

It took just three minutes Wednesday night for those two Panthers to find their strokes and rub Sierra Vista out of the playoffs.

Using a trio of 3-pointers from Steffen and Smith, Palo Verde exploded out of halftime on an 11-0 run, erasing a deficit and spurring the Panthers to a 64-55 home win over the Lions in Sunset Region quarterfinal action.

Palo Verde (NW-2, 25-5) labored against Sierra Vista's 3-2 zone in the first half, but the Panthers exploited that defense after the break by driving into the lane and finding their shooters in the corners. Clarke said there was little mystery to the turnaround.

"We were getting good shots (in the first half)," Clarke said. "We just couldn't hit them."

Steffen scored 14 of his team-high 19 points in the second half, including a strong 7-of-8 showing at the foul line. Jarrell Harrison added 12 points and Amir Ahmad scored 11 for Palo Verde. Lendor Coney grabbed 14 rebounds as well, including seven on the offensive end.

Balanced scoring from interchangeable parts is the norm for the Panthers.

"We're really unique that way," Steffen said. "We have a lot of teamwork that other teams don't have."

Clarke's rotation goes eight players deep, and all eight scored Wednesday.

"We went to the All-Conference (selection) meeting and I said, 'I don't know who to put up,' " Clarke said. "I've never had a team with a huge capital 'T' like this."

Palo Verde extended its lead to 50-36 early in the fourth quarter when Coney made a great back-door cut and took an Erik Wood pass for a layup. The Lions responded with a 9-2 spurt over the next three minutes to pull within seven, but Sierra Vista did not come any closer.

Sierra Vista (SW-3, 15-14) controlled the action through the first half, even without starting point guard Jonathan Johnson. The junior picked up three fouls in the game's first five minutes and went to the bench, but thanks to Garrett Schofield, the Lions did not miss a beat.

The 6-foot-1 senior guard scored 15 of Sierra Vista's 25 first-half points, displaying unlimited range and an ability to slash to the basket. The Lions utilized a patient, efficient offense -- one that disappeared after halftime.

Palo Verde defenders shadowed Schofield, and the Lions did not appear to look for their leader as much. Sierra Vista hoisted up a number of quick shots in the third quarter, allowing the Panthers to control the boards and the tempo. Palo Verde outscored the Lions, 20-6, in that decisive period.

Schofield finished with 27 points and Fariest Brown added nine points and six rebounds for the Lions.

The Panthers advance to Friday's region semifinals to take on Southwest top seed Bishop Gorman, which downed Mojave (NW-4), 67-52, Wednesday. In the other semifinal, Cheyenne (NW-1) will square off with Durango (SW-2).

The Desert Shields easily handled Western (SW-4) Wednesday, 70-39, while Durango made short work of Centennial (NW-3), 84-65. Those games take place Friday afternoon at Mojave High School.

The top three finishers from the Sunset Region will advance to next week's state tournament.