SUNRISE GIRLS: Foothill holds off Liberty for first title

For the second straight night, Foothill’s hopes for a girls basketball regional title came down to the final seconds.

And for the second straight night, the ball bounced the Falcons’ way.

Julie Harless had 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead a balanced attack, helping the Falcons claim their first Sunrise Region girls championship Friday by defeating two-time defending champion Liberty 51-50 at Foothill.

The win lifted the Falcons into next week’s Class 4A state tournament in Reno, where they will open against the Northern Region champion at 6:20 p.m. Thursday.

“I knew this was going to be a close battle,” said Foothill coach Mike Collins, whose team advanced to the title game by beating Coronado 63-62 Thursday on a 3-pointer by Christina Nash at the buzzer.

“This is what we prepared for.”

Though the Falcons (20-5) shot just 39 percent (9 of 23) from the free-throw line, it was ironically a missed free throw by the Patriots (24-6) that made the difference.

Liberty’s Tae’lor Monroe was fouled while trying to tie the game on a layup with 2.4 seconds remaining.

Collins used his final timeout in an attempt to ice the junior guard, but Monroe made the first one to cut the Patriots’ deficit to 51-50. Her second attempt, however, bounced off the front of the rim, and the Falcons were awarded possession on a jump ball to seal the win.

“That was the only chance I had,” Collins said. “I called timeout hoping she’d miss one.”

The game was close throughout, with both teams scoring in spurts to take the lead. Foothill scored the last seven points of the first half to go up 35-28 at halftime.

The Patriots needed just the first two minutes of the second half to draw even at 35, tying it on a 3-pointer by Monroe.

A 10-0 run helped the Falcons again take control, as Anaya Rodisha’s long jumper gave Foothill a 45-35 lead with a minute remaining in the third quarter.

But Liberty battled back, cutting the deficit to 51-49 on a 3-pointer Alyx Stiff with 11 seconds left. The Patriots then fouled Rodisha, who missed both of her foul shots with 7.8 seconds to go.

Following a Liberty timeout, Monroe drove the length of the court and was sent to the line after being fouled in the paint with 2.4 seconds remaining.

Collins, whose team has been involved in countless close games this season, said his squad was prepared to handle the stress of yet another one.

“It could have gone either way,” said Collins, whose team was eliminated in the regional championship by Liberty last year. “I don’t know if we’re a team of destiny, but I do know how hard we worked for this.”

Harless, who scored 12 of her 14 points in the first half, said she was determined to keep her team in the game.

“I just knew this could have been my last game,” the senior forward said. “I knew we could do it, and I wanted to start off strong.”

Bri Higgins helped Foothill with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and teammate Tanji Ajeto added 10 points.

Chanel Nacua had 10 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Patriots.