Fewer state tourney berths on the line at region events

Adam Candee

Friday, Feb. 20, 2004 | 10:22 a.m.

Four local basketball teams will earn trips to Reno for next week's 4A State Tournament by winning region tournaments, yet it may still seem a bit empty up North.

That is because last season, 10 local boys' and girls' teams qualified for state, a bonanza likely gone for good after the Nevada Interscholastic Athletics Association voted to reduce the size of state tournaments as a cost-cutting measure for school districts. Now, when the tournament is in Reno under the new rotating format, Southern schools must win their region to advance.

Two teams from the Northern region will qualify this year and each will take on a Southern team in the state semifinals Thursday at Lawlor Events Center.

In boys' basketball, that means a number of strong teams will go home early. Just one squad from the quartet of Palo Verde, Cheyenne, Durango and Bonanza will head North from the Sunset Region, the state's strongest league in 2003-04. Mojave High School hosts the Sunset tournament, with semifinals between the Panthers and Desert Shields at 4:40 p.m., and Blazers and Bengals at 8 p.m. tonight and a 6 p.m. Saturday championship game.

Top seeds Coronado and Las Vegas are the favorites in the Sunrise Region, and the Cougars play the tournament on their home floor. The Wildcats take on Foothill in the 8 p.m. semifinal while Coronado faces Valley at 4:40 p.m. today. The Sunrise title game is also at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Centennial is again the prohibitive favorite in the Sunset Region girls' tournament. The Bulldogs take on Mojave, the tournament host, at 6:20 p.m. tonight, while Bishop Gorman and Cheyenne meet at 3 p.m. to open play. The title game is at 4 p.m. Saturday.

A wide-open Sunrise girls' bracket features Green Valley and Desert Pines at 3 p.m. today, and Valley against host Coronado at 6:20 p.m. today, with a 4 p.m. Saturday championship contest.