Legacy Tip-Off: Democracy Prep knocks off Arbor View in quarterfinal

Poor free-throw shooting and a lackluster effort on the glass usually spell disaster for basketball teams. On Friday, it nearly sunk Democracy Prep, the only Class 2A team playing in a tournament full of 4A opponents.

“Normally, you lose that game by 20 points,” fifth-year coach Trevor Diggs said. “But we have the heart of a champion.”

Can’t argue that.

The defending 2A champions rallied from a 13-point, first-quarter deficit against Arbor View and made all the key plays down the stretch for a 66-64 victory in the quarterfinals of the Legacy Tip-Off Classic at Legacy High.

“We were struggling (early), but we came back and found a way to fight,” said junior point guard Najeeb Muhammad, who finished with 13 points, three rebounds and three assists. “We overcame all our obstacles.”

Obstacles like the Blue Knights’ 12-for-23 effort from the line, or their 35-21 losing margin on the boards.

“We got free-throw practice in the morning — early,” Diggs said. “Early morning. We can’t keep missing. One day, it’s going to bite us.”

And it almost did Friday, before the backcourt of Muhammad and Akeemis Williams took over.

Muhammad assisted on all three of Williams’ 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead shot with 3:35 left, to swing momentum. Muhammad hit the second of two free throws with 13.3 seconds remaining to give the Blue Knights a two-point lead and the upper hand on the game’s final possession.

Arbor View had a chance to tie the game after escaping Democracy Prep’s full-court press, but sophomore Donovan Yap missed a runner outside the paint before the buzzer sounded. Williams, who scored 15 points on 3s, pulled down the game’s final rebound.

Diggs and Muhammad both credited Williams for continuing to shoot after missing his first three shots of the game and starting 1-for-6 in the first half.

“We just keep telling him to shoot the ball,” Muhammad said. “He’s the best shooter in Vegas.So if he don’t shoot the ball, we’re going to have trouble. … He ended up coming through.”

The streaky shooting helped the Blue Knights earn their second win over a 4A opponent in as many days.

“We work as hard as anybody else,” Diggs said. “People always say, ‘Oh, your guys are in 2A.’ I don’t put that ‘A’ in front of anybody — 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A. We can compete with any team out here. … The kids work, so it’s great for our program.”

Daniel Plummer had 17 points off the bench for Democracy Prep (2-0), and teammate Jared Holmes had 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

Yap had 17 points and five assists to lead Arbor View (2-1). Jarrod Burks had 14 points and nine rebounds, and Sevonyea Smith had 12 boards for the Aggies.

Mojave 78, Legacy 75 — Tyrice Pender led four double-figure scorers with 21 points, and the Rattlers outscored host Legacy 10-6 in overtime to earn the victory and move into the semifinals.

Chris Jackson had 18 points, Noah Achong had 14 points and Saquevian Williams notched 12 points for Mojave.

Cristian Pitts led all scorers with 26 points, and D’Eric Marlowe had 13 points to lead Legacy, which also got strong contributions from Jaylon Lee (12 points) and Tyrell Nolen (11 points).

Cimarron-Memorial 74, Clovis East (Calif.) 66 — Karion Harrell scored 12 of his team-high 19 points in the second half to lead the Spartans past the Timberwolves.

Marcus Phillips added 18 points, George Tribble had 11 points and Brian Washington scored nine for Cimarron, which led 33-29 at halftime.

Shawno Roberts hit three 3-pointers and finished with 20 points to lead Clovis East.

Centennial 73, Cheyenne 56 — Ishon Hardin hit five 3-pointers and scored 18 of his game-high 27 points in the second half to help the Bulldogs roll past the Desert Shields.

Aaryn Anderson added 12 points, and Teon Tayor scored 10 for Centennial, which also got nine points from Steve Giles. The Bulldogs outscored Cheyenne 27-14 in the fourth quarter to pull away.

Ke’Shawn Hall led Cheyenne with 17 points. Kavon Williams (12 points) and Glen Taylor (10 points) also contributed for the Desert Shields.

Silverado 48, Canyon View (Utah) 45 — Martell Williams led all scorers with 19 points, and the Skyhawks held the Falcons without a field goal in the third quarter en route to the victory.

Caden Farley had 16 points for Silverado, which trailed 24-19 at halftime but took the lead by outscoring Canyon View 11-4 in the third quarter.

Brantzen Blackner had 14 points for Canyon View.

Aquinas (Calif.) 58, Green Valley 53 — Darien Addison had 26 points to lead the Falcons past the Gators.

Jai Timberlake had 11 points, and Derek Halbrook scored 10 for Aquinas, which led 33-24 at halftime.

Michael Jackson and Antoine Hines each scored 17 points for Green Valley, and teammate Kendall Nether had 10 points.

Rancho 62, Oceanside Collegiate (S.C.) 50 — Jahleel Stevens had 18 points in the Rams’ victory over Oceanside Collegiate.

Da’leon Finley had 15 points, and Devan Wright scored 10 for Rancho.