HS basketball roundup: 8 playoff games on slate to open postseason

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Published Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013 | 7:15 p.m.

Updated Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013 | 12:03 a.m.

You could easily argue that each of the eight teams in high school basketball’s Sunrise Regional tournament have a chance of winning the championship.

The tournament gets started tonight with no clear-cut favorite, which follows the theme of past seasons where a program comes from the middle-of-the-pack to capture the crown.

With three games in four days, the last team standing typically is the one that peaks at the right time. The winner earns one of four spots in next week’s state tournament at the Orleans Arena.

Valley appeared to be one of the favorites in the Sunrise, but closed the regular season with a pair of defeats in dropping to the regional’s No. 2 seed. They lost to Las Vegas and Canyon Springs, which despite struggling earlier in the season appears to have found its groove at the right time.

Valley hosts Basic, the No. 3 seed from the Southeast League. Earlier in the year, Basic — which went 5-5 in league games — beat Valley. Yes, anything can, and likely will happen, in the postseason.

Canyon Springs travels to Eldorado, Las Vegas hosts Liberty and Foothill will take on Green Valley in the other first-round games in the Sunrise.

Foothill is the lone team in the tournament that went undefeated in league play, winning its eighth straight Southeast crown. Foothill was also one of the favorites last year, but was upset in the Sunrise championship game Green Valley, which peaked late.

In Sunset Region, defending state champion Bishop Gorman hosts Shadow Ridge, and contender Centennial takes on visiting Durango.

Centennial is widely believed to be the biggest threat to dethrone Gorman, especially when you consider the Bulldogs led Gorman late in the fourth quarter last week before falling in double overtime. But, Centennial first has to get past Durango, which it beat by just one point earlier this year.

In the other Sunset games, Northwest League champ Arbor View hosts Cimarron-Memorial, and Legacy plays at Palo Verde in what could be the most game of the evening.

Our team of reporters will have coverage from all eight first-round games. Check back for updates all night as scores go final.

High school basketball playoff results from tonight:

• Second-half scoring outburst leads Valley past Basic and into Sunrise semifinals

• Elijah Smith guides Foothill past Green Valley

• Near triple-double from Trey Kennedy pushes Gorman into second round

• Las Vegas cruises to first round win against Liberty, 63-49

• Arbor View prolongs best season in school history with first-round victory

• Canyon Springs’ hot streak continues with first-round playoff win at Eldorado

• Centennial keeps its cool in win over Durango

• Palo Verde advances past Legacy despite 18-point halftime deficit

Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21.