SUNSET GIRLS: Palo Verde survives late Sierra Vista charge for upset win

Palo Verde’s Jasmin Kiley knew what she had to do when she stepped up to the foul line with 8.7 seconds remaining in the second overtime Tuesday.

Kiley, who had missed 9 of 10 free throw attempts to that point, knew she had to sink at least one to seal a postseason victory for the Panthers.

She hit the first, and Palo Verde held on to defeat host Sierra Vista 70-67 in the first round of the Sunset Region playoffs. The win lifted the Panthers into the region semifinals, where they will host Centennial at 6:20 p.m. on Thursday. Bishop Gorman plays Legacy in the other semifinal at 3 p.m. on Thursday.

 “It was frustrating missing my free throws,” said Kiley, who led the Panthers with 18 points. “But I knew I had to stay focused and buckle down.”

In Kiley’s defense, the entire Panther roster missed multiple opportunities to break the game open. Palo Verde missed 22-of-38 free throws on the night while turning the ball over 21 times.

“I think we were a little nervous,” Palo Verde coach Phil Clarke said. “We’ve been here before, but we don’t have a whole lot of senior leadership. We might have just gotten caught up in the atmosphere.”

Still, the Panthers (15-7) controlled the pace most of the way. After leading all but the first few seconds of the first half, they extended the advantage to 41-31 when Alyssa Amoruso hit a 3-pointer with 5:22 left in the third quarter.

Jeanette Jackson helped Sierra Vista (20-9) to a late comeback, cutting the deficit to 55-53. Jackson, who logged 28 points and eight rebounds, put in a layup witht 55 seconds left in regulation to help bridge the gap. Marley Wakeen sent the game into overtime with a pair of free throws with 21 seconds to play.

Sierra Vista grabbed an early lead in the first overtime, but the Panthers’ Dominique Bryant hit a layup with 22 seconds left in the extra period to force another overtime.

Palo Verde jumped ahead early and clung to a 68-66 lead despite Kiley’s four-straight missed free-throw attempts. But the sophomore guard finally hit one with 8.7 seconds remaining, and added an insurance point with another free throw seven seconds later.

“I couldn’t be prouder of this group,” Clarke said. “We were up by eight points in the fourth quarter and lost the lead. Coming back from that shows the character of these girls.”

Legacy 66, Bonanza 57 — At Legacy, Breanah Manley had 22 points, five rebounds and three steals to lead the Longhorns past the Bengals.

Latia Matthews added 21 points and 11 rebounds for Legacy (17-11), which led 37-22 at the half.

Alice Pitts led Bonanza (15-8) with 20 points. Daytril Beals contributed 14 points and Alex Duncan had 10 for the Bengals.

Bishop Gorman 73, Mojave 48 — At Gorman, freshman Tonisha Childress had 19 points to lead the Gaels past the Rattlers.

Chelsie Pitt added 16 points, and April Rivers scored 11 for Gorman (23-5), which played without leading scorer Aaryn Ellenberg.

Jazzmine Robinson led Mojave (14-9) with 21 points. Tracy Parks added 10 points for the Rattlers.

Centennial 81, Durango 19 — At Centennial, Courtney Hayes had 15 points, 16 rebounds and 11 steals as the Bulldogs routed the Trailblazers.

Ashley Klemz scored 21 points; Alexis Byrd had 19 points, six assists and six steals; and Kiara Washington added 12 points for Centennial (24-4), which led 37-6 at the half.

Tiarra Belville had seven points for Durango (17-13).