SUNRISE GIRLS: Lainhart erases double-digit deficit, leads Skyhawks past Jaguars

Sometime early in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s Sunrise Region girls basketball quarterfinal at Desert Pines, Natalie Lainhart decided her team wasn’t about to lose.

By then, the Silverado junior’s team trailed the Northeast League champion Jaguars by 11 points.

Until she took matters into her own hands.

Lainhart went on a personal 11-2 run in a little more than 3½ minutes, helping Silverado rally to force overtime, then scored two points and had three rebounds in the extra period as the Skyhawks pulled out a 63-62 victory.

The Skyhawks, 19-8 overall and the Southeast’s No. 4 seed, will face Green Valley in a Sunrise semifinal at 6:20 p.m. Thursday at Liberty. Foothill plays Liberty in the other semifinal at 3 p.m. on Thursday.

“We just came out with intensity and with the mind set that we weren’t going to lose the game,” Lainhart said. “We just worked together.”

Lainhart had just six points and six rebounds before the start of the fourth quarter. She finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds.

“Natalie is our best defensive player, hands down,” Silverado coach Kelli Mathews said. “When she gets focused, she gets the whole team fired up. When she plays hard-nosed defense, her offense turns right around. She’s an incredible player.”

Lainhart played a huge role as the Jaguars (17-12) went ice cold from the field in the fourth quarter. In the final eight minutes of regulation, Desert Pines made 2-of-18 shots and had five turnovers.

“We turned up our defensive intensity,” Mathews said. “The girls picked it up, put a lot of pressure on them.”
Everything Desert Pines did to build leads of 36-21 at the half and 47-34 after three quarters no longer worked.

“When you miss at least 10 layups and you don’t play solid defense, that’s what happens,” Desert Pines coach Mel Washington said. “They played us tough, but when you lose a 15-point lead, you don’t deserve to win.”

Shea Collins added 16 points, and Jessica Meyers scored 13 for the Skyhawks. Diamond Wright had 10 points and 19 rebounds for Silverado.

Ta’Quiyyah Boyles led the Jaguars with 21 points and 13 rebounds. LaBrea Walker had 16 points, and Claudia Meneses had 10 points and 18 rebounds, and Theresia Williams chipped in 10 points.

Foothill 50, Las Vegas 39 — At Las Vegas, Cheryl Harless scored 15 points and Bri Higgins had 14 as the Falcons (18-10) knocked off the Wildcats.

Mercedes Starr added nine points for Foothill, which led 11-2 after one quarter.

Shomari Harris led Las Vegas (16-12) with 13 points.

Liberty 65, Valley 37 — At Liberty, Amanda Delgado had 17 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Daynice Cochran tallied 16 points and 10 rebounds to help the Patriots (23-4) oust the Vikings (11-13).

Destiny Whitehead added 10 points, and Jade Washington supplied eight points and eight assists for Liberty.

Jessica Walton had 14 points and Markysha McCullah contributed 10 for Valley.

Green Valley 80, Canyon Springs 44 — At Green Valley, Angelica Mack and Sara Pickus each scored 20 points as the Gators (23-4) dominated the Pioneers (19-12).

Pickus added 18 rebounds and Mack grabbed 13 rebounds.

Jasmine Jarvis had 19 points and nine assists, and Danielle Christensen scored 12 for Green Valley, which led 46-18 at halftime.

Kenosha Wright had 14 points and Pearl Paulo added 11 for Canyon Springs.