Mojave comeback a basic shocker

Nick Christensen

Thursday, Feb. 19, 2004 | 9:35 a.m.

Not too often can a team come back from a first half where it fell behind by 16 points by going 3-for-13 from the free throw line and being grossly outrebounded.

But Mojave was able to do just that, overcoming a 38-22 halftime deficit and the fourth quarter foul-out of leader Sequoia Holmes to defeat host Bonanza, 66-59, in Wednesday's Sunset Region quarterfinals.

The Rattlers (NW-3) advance to Friday's semifinals on their home floor, where they will face defending state champion Centennial (NW-1). In the other semifinal, Bishop Gorman (SW-1) and Cheyenne (NW-2) square off.

For Mojave, getting back into the game became a matter of getting back to basics.

"My assistant coaches, at halftime, said we're not getting back on defense, that was the first thing," Mojave coach Darrell Green said. "I told them we have to make free throws and layups. When you make the easy ones, the game is easy, if you make your free throws and layups."

The Rattlers went 10-for-14 from the charity stripe in the second half. As for the layups, Mojave spent most of the third quarter chipping away at the Bengals' lead, going on an 18-2 run after the break and tying the game at 40 near the end of the third.

Early in the fourth quarter, Bonanza guard Stacey Pena came onto the court while teammate LaTiffany Wallace shot free throws, and was called for a technical foul for being the sixth player on the court. That technical also served as Pena's fifth and disqualifying personal foul, but it seemed to be a spark for Bonanza, as the Bengals briefly recaptured the lead.

Pena led all Bonanza scorers at the time, with 13 points. The Bengals' Mahina Gago finished with a team-high 19 points and seven steals, and teammate Shirin Turujman added 10 points and seven rebounds. The Bengals were playing without standout guard Jen Davey, who suffered a season-ending knee injury late in the regular season.

"We played well in the first half, but in the second half, we played a little timid," Bonanza coach Cathy Szymarek said. "We allowed them second and third opportunities. They came out and played aggressively in the second half, and we tried to save our lead instead of building on it."

Shortly after Pena fouled out, Holmes picked up her fifth foul while swiping for a steal near midcourt from Turujman. Holmes finished with 14 points and six rebounds, despite going 6-for-21 from the field.

"Tonight, when our MVP was down, these young ladies stepped up," Green said. "We have a team full of sophomores, and it's scary to see them play together."

The Rattlers were down two points when Holmes fouled out, but were led down the stretch by Redgail Burton. Burton scored six of her game-high 22 points after Holmes was forced to the bench.

"I don't think we got complacent," Szymarek said. "In the second quarter, we picked it up, we struggled but kept it up because of our great athletes. All season long, we've been ahead in games, and we've gotten used to being ahead. When it came down to it, Mojave had more athletic ability."

BISHOP GORMAN 69, PALO VERDE 55: The defending Sunset Region champion Gaels made short work of Palo Verde (NW-4) to earn a spot in Friday's semifinals.

CHEYENNE 70, WESTERN 61: The Desert Shields continued their marked improvement from last year with a victory over Western (SW-3), which bows out in the quarterfinals after making it to the state semifinals a year ago.

CENTENNIAL 92, SIERRA VISTA 29: The Bulldogs easily dispatched the Lions (SW-4) behind a strong effort from freshman Italee Lucas.