Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Prep Basketball:

Palo Verde girls snag first ever postseason victory in overtime

Durango’s Mia Bell scores 36, but Trailblazers sputter in extra period

Durango at Palo Verde girls basketball

Jummel Hidrosollo / Special to the Home News

Durango guard Mia Bell, left, recovers a rebound at the Sunset Regional girls basketball quarterfinals against Palo Verde High School on Wednesday.

Girls Sunset Regional Quarterfinals: Durango at Palo Verde

Palo Verde guard Shameka Smith attempts to keep the ball away from Durango forward Kristen Gaines and guard Jasmine Thomas during the Sunset Regional girls basketball quarterfinals at Palo Verde High School on Wednesday.
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Palo Verde's girls basketball team won its first ever postseason game by knocking off Durango 67-55 in overtime on Wednesday in the Sunset Regional quarterfinal.

"Last year we lost in the first round to Durango by 25. That was a heart breaker," Panthers senior guard Hayley Henderson said. "We really wanted this, and it just means so much to me."

Henderson scored a team high 22 points for Palo Verde, including a layup with 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter that tied the game at 55-55.

Palo Verde outscored Durango 12-5 in overtime to pick up the win and advance to the region semifinals to face defending state champion Bishop Gorman. All 12 of the team's points in overtime came from the free-throw line led by freshman guard Jasmin Kiley, who went 6-for-6 from the stripe.

"You wouldn't guess (Kiley) was a freshman. She was so calm out there," Panthers coach Phil Clarke said.

The Panthers trailed Durango 54-48 when Trailblazers sophomore Cindy Klinhom made a pair of free throws with 53 seconds left in the game.

Durango had rallied from a 15 point deficit in the third quarter to take the six point lead.

"I thought we had it, being up six with a minute to go," Durango coach Lindsay Callaghan said. "When we were down I told them they couldn't give up and to go hard. They did and we came back and took the lead."

The 'Blazers' rally was led by senior guard Mia Bell, who finished with a game high 36 points, including an 11-point effort in the fourth quarter.

Palo Verde led 30-23 at halftime and started the third quarter with an 8-0 run to gain a 15-point lead. That's when Bell stepped up, scoring nine consecutive points for Durango and getting the team within six.

"I'd look up at the scoreboard and they just kept chipping away," Clarke said. "We took our foot of the pedal and stopped doing the things that had gotten us here."

The 'Blazers finally took the lead when freshman guard Jasmine Suarez knocked down a three-pointer with 1:56 left in the fourth pushing Durango to a 50-48 lead.

Other Sunset Regional quarterfinal action:

Bishop Gorman 71, Cheyenne 31

Gorman senior center Dannielle Diamant had a 22-point, 15 rebound effort to help the Gaels advance to the region semifinals with a 71-31 win against Cheyenne.

Junior guard Aaryn Ellenberg added 14 points, with sophomore forward Chelsie Pitt scoring 12.

"It was a good team win. It gets us prepared for Palo Verde on their floor, which will be tough," coach Sheryl Krmpotich said.

The Gaels and Panthers will meet in the tournament's second semifinal game at 6:20 p.m.

Centennial 90, Sierra Vista 55

Centennial and Legacy will meet in the first semifinal game at 3 p.m. On Wednesday, Centennial advanced after a 90-55 win against Sierra Vista.

Senior guard Johnna Brown scored a team high 25 points to lead the Bulldogs, while senior forward Deanna Daniels had a 15 point, 15 rebound effort to aid in the win.

Legacy 62, Bonanza 53

Legacy was the only road team to win in the first round of the Sunset tournament. The Longhorns, the Northwest Division's No. 3 seed, traveled to Bonanza, the Southwest Division's No. 2 seed and pulled out a 62-53 upset.

Senior center Kindrea Poole scored a team high 23 points for Legacy, which used a 16-7 run in the third quarter to pull away from the Bengals. Junior guard Kendra Irving added 14 points.

Bonanza senior guard Shirley Pitts had a game-high 25 points, while senior forward Christin Figgins added 10.

Brent Hinckley can be reached at 990-7822 or [email protected].

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