Sierra Vista High basketball player Maka Ellis was one of the highest scoring freshmen in Southern Nevada last season at 19 nearly points per game. Now, Ellis wants ...
Bishop Gorman wasn’t supposed to be challenged today in the Sunset Regional quarterfinals against visiting Sierra Vista. The two-time defending state champion Gaels (25-4) are nationally ranked; Sierra Vista was the last-seeded team from the Northwest League.
Viko Noma’aea hadn’t played basketball in more than one year when he returned last month from serving a church mission in France. Come this June, the former Sierra Vista High point guard will start practicing with Utah State, verbally committing to the school this week.
Canyon Springs High senior guard Trey Evans inadvertently forgot his game shoes at home Thursday for the Pioneers’ state semifinals contest at the Orleans Arena. So, he borrowed a pair of pink high-tops from teammate Michael Thompson, then borrowed a play designed for Thompson in saving the season for his team.
The fate of two seasons came down to one loose ball. With three seconds left in Tuesday’s state tournament play-in game at Del Sol High, Eldorado trailed Sierra Vista by one with Daquon Thrower at the free-throw line shooting his second attempt. Thrower, who swished the first free throw, clanked the shot off the back iron. Teammate D.J. Billingsley came up with the ball after a brief scramble right below the basket. But Sierra Vista’s Dallin Molina stepped up and contested Billingsley’s put back as the buzzer sounded to send the Mountain Lions to Nevada high school basketball’s version of ...
Unsatisfied would serve as the best word to describe Bishop Gorman’s temperament heading into Friday’s Sunset championship game against Sierra Vista. Although the Gaels scored a 17-point victory over Palo Verde in the semifinals Thursday, no one on the team was happy about the way they played. Gorman felt its defense was lackluster, which allowed Palo Verde to stay in the game for too long. Gorman more than shored up its mistakes against Sierra Vista and cruised to an 84-66 victory.
It took Sierra Vista 10 years to capture the first playoff victory in school history. Now, the Mountain Lions have won two in three days. Sierra Vista, which finished second in the Southwest Division, knocked off Northwest Division champions Centennial 56-44 Thursday in the Sunset Region semifinals.
Sierra Vista’s defense came out strong from the beginning in Tuesday’s Sunset quarterfinal playoff game against Cimarron-Memorial. It took the offense a while to follow. After only leading 19-15 at halftime, the Mountain Lions pulled away for a resounding 62-39 win against the Spartans.
The Sierra Vista High basketball team Friday clinched the No. 2 seed from the Southwest Division in next week’s Sunset Regional playoffs with a 76-71 overtime victory against host Durango.
The Sierra Vista High basketball team’s 66-59 victory Wednesday against host Western puts the Mountain Lions in an excellent position to make a memorable postseason run. Sure, they have seven league games remaining in the Southwest Division, and could easily slip up down the home stretch of the regular season. But the victory against Western put the Mountain Lions (18-3, 8-2) in the driver’s seat to claim the No. 2 seed from the Southwest for next week’s Sunset Regional tournament. The No. 2 seed hosts a first-round playoff game and avoids having to play two-time defending state champion Bishop Gorman ...
The Sierra Vista basketball team exits the locker room in a state of absolute calm. The Mountain Lions silently shuffle into a line in a hallway to the side of their gym's bleachers and wait. When the first beat echoes over the speakers, the players soar onto the court and leave their relaxed demeanor behind. The song playing isn't one heard at sporting events across the country. It's Sierra Vista's own, a rap about the Mountain Lions entitled "Blue & Yellow" by 16-year old junior Jaylen "Space" Washington.
Bishop Gorman’s Shabazz Muhammad flew down the court on a fast break and went over a defender for a forceful dunk. Never one to be outdone, Sierra Vista’s Viko Noma’aea took the ensuing inbounds pass, rocketed down the floor and zigzagged his way through the Gorman defense for a how-did-he-do-that layup. This is what happens when two of the best players on two of the best teams in Las Vegas go up against each other. In what is certain to go down as one of the most entertaining high school basketball games of the year, Bishop Gorman rallied past host ...
The Sierra Vista High basketball team needed this game. While its 82-69 victory against Lynwood High of California in the Sierra Vista Invitational was important, it was the simple fact the Mountain Lions were playing a game that was more significant.
Sierra Vista guard Viko Noma’aea felt his team “slacked off” in the third quarter of its season-opening game against Coronado Thursday night. He wanted to start the fourth quarter by setting a new tone. Noma’aea hit a 3-pointer, grabbed a steal and dished an assist in the opening 30 seconds to turn a five-point Coronado lead into a tie game. Sierra Vista seized on the momentum and used a lopsided fourth quarter to beat Coronado 73-59.
Ask Sierra Vista coach Kent Johnson who will star for his team this season and expect a mouthful in response. Johnson can’t limit his response to a few guys, because he thinks almost everyone on the roster is capable of changing a game on any given night.
