Palo Verde win sets up division showdown with Centennial

Thursday, Feb. 10, 2005 | 9:33 a.m.

Palo Verde cleaned up a messy Northwest Division playoff picture, but the Panthers needed overtime to do it.

Shadow Ridge took Palo Verde to an extra period before dropping a 63-60 decision Wednesday.

"We needed a win," Palo Verde coach Paul Aznarez said. "We were able to build a little momentum."

The Panthers improved to 6-3 in league play, tied for Centennial for first place in the Northwest. They close their regular season at Centennial on Friday night.

"The game against Centennial means everything to us," Aznarez said.

Shadow Ridge coach Kevin Otis was disappointed in how his team came apart at the end.

"We led coming down the stretch," Otis said. "We just took some bad shots."

The Mustangs were down seven going into the third and turned it up a little, but 12 missed free throws and a last-second missed shot in regulation helped Palo Verde sneak in a win on the road.

The Mustangs dropped to 3-6 in the division and were eliminated from the playoff picture. They will be play their final game of the regular season Friday against Cheyenne.

The Trailblazers improved to 7-4 in league play and are still fighting for the third or fourth spot in the Southwest Division.

Kyle Wilson had 17 points for the Grizzlies.

Western finished its season with a 5-16 overall record and a division record of 2-10.

Dana Kendrid had 17 points and Deshawn Williams 14 for Clark.

Cheyenne improved its record to 5-4 in the division and clinched a playoff spot.

Emmanuel Olekaibe had 21 points for Cimmaron, which was eliminated from the postseason.

Kashif Watson led the Gaels with 30 points and teammate C.J. Portz added 16.

The Lions dropped to 1-10 in league play. They were led by Fariest Brown's 18 points.

Mojave also clinched a playoff spot despite the loss.

Darnell Grier had 12 points and Dominique Watson had 15 points for Mojave.