Durango too tall for Sierra Vista

By Brett Okamoto

Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009 | 11:30 p.m.

Sierra Vista found itself on the short end of a 46-44 loss to visiting Durango Thursday night – literally.

In a game where neither team led by more than five points, size played a big part down the stretch as the Trailblazers (11-6, 6-1) were able to outrebound the Mountain Lions 24-16 and force tough shots due to their size advantage.

With the two tallest players on their roster out because of flu and injury, Sierra Vista (17-4, 5-1) especially had trouble getting around Durango's 6-foot-7 forward, Kris Bennett, who finished with five blocks.

"We really take his size for granted because we're with him every day," said Durango coach DeShawn Henry. "But it sure poses a problem for other teams. He's really started to get those kinds of plays and we tend to lean on him. I was so proud of him tonight."

Down by two with 10 seconds remaining, Sierra Vista had two opportunities to force the game into overtime. To nobody's surprise, both opportunities went to senior Ray Tapusoa, who drove the lane only to get blocked by Bennett the first time and tied up in a jump ball with him on the second attempt that gave possession to the Trailblazers.

"I want the ball in Ray's hands, he's our go-to guy," said Sierra Vista coach Kent Johnson. "When the chips are down I want it in his hands. We had it exactly where we wanted it, they just made a couple good plays."

Bennett, who had struggled early in the game through foul trouble, knew it was up to him to disrupt Tapusoa, but also avoid sending him to the line with a chance to tie the game.

"I'm definitely not trying to foul him in that situation," Bennett said. "Just trying to get the stop, not necessarily the block, but make the smart play and the defensive stop."

Sierra Vista got a big lift from sophomore Viko Noma'aea, who was playing in just his second varsity game after breaking his wrist early this season. Noma'aea finished with 16 points, including three consecutive three pointers in the fourth quarter that kept the Mountain Lions close.

"He fractured his arm two weeks before the season started," Johnson said. "We had barely made cuts and that weekend he broke his wrist. His recovery and coming back has been fantastic. He's the guy we want at the point all season long. He adds a lot of firepower."

The loss puts both teams and Bishop Gorman (14-4, 6-1) into a three-way tie for first place in the Southwest League, as each team has one division loss.

With the second half of league games starting soon for all three teams, the fight for the division starts now.

"We're playing in a much-improved division from just last year," Henry said. "Hopefully we'll be able to take care of business, we've got to go see Gorman on Monday and that will be a tough game. We've just got to compete and give ourselves a chance."

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or [email protected].