3-way race heats up atop Class 5A baseball Desert League

Reigning Class 5A state baseball champion Basic finds itself in an unlikely spot with the playoffs beginning in two weeks.

The Wolves are third in the 5A Desert League standings. They are two games in the win column behind first-place Green Valley and one behind second-place Coronado.

Green Valley split its two regular-season meetings with Basic. Coronado beat Basic 8-6 on April 8. The teams play again May 1.

Basic coach Scott Baker said the 5A division is as good as it’s been in a while.

“It gets no easier,” Baker said Friday after the Wolves’ 17-4 win over Centennial. “This 5A division is a gauntlet. We have to keep playing well.”

Sitting in first place in the Desert League, Green Valley can give itself a chance at the league title if it wins out and pending possible tiebreakers. Coach Manny Llamas said his team “loves” how tight the battle at the top of the league has been.

“Any given day in our league, anyone can beat anyone,” Llamas said after the Gators’ 9-7 win over Coronado on Thursday that snapped the Cougars’ 10-game winning streak. “It just shows how great the 5A division is and how competitive it is.”

Green Valley and Coronado play again Saturday.

Bishop Gorman is a game clear of second-place Desert Oasis in the 5A Mountain League standings. The Gaels, looking for their first state championship since 2015, avenged a one-run loss to the Diamondbacks earlier in the season with an 11-1 win April 15.

Gorman plays at third-place Faith Lutheran on Thursday. A win would put the Gaels in prime position to win the Mountain League.

In what could be a preview of the 5A state title game, Gorman edged Basic 1-0 in nine innings at the All Faiths Championship Game on April 6. After the win, Gorman coach Chris Sheff stressed that the road to a state title still runs through Basic.

Basic lost to Gorman in a regular-season matchup last year and in the first of five meetings between both teams in the playoffs before winning the next four to win the Southern League and state titles.

“There are no days off. You’re always facing everybody’s No. 1 or No. 2 (starting pitcher),” Baker said. “There are no easy days. You have to bring your A-game every day or you’re going to get beat.”

In 4A, reigning state champion Shadow Ridge has a two-game lead in the Desert League standings. The Mustangs (21-5) are the only team with a winning record in the seven-team league. Their losses have been to 5A teams, and they have outscored opponents 288-93.

Shadow Ridge has continued its dominance despite the controversy surrounding a coaching change before the season. After leading the Mustangs to the title last year, Dan Thomas was dismissed by the school this year. Assistant Travis Juneman assumed head coaching responsibilities for the season.

Foothill appears to be the biggest challenger to Shadow Ridge. The Falcons are 20-5 and tied with Sierra Vista atop the Mountain League after the teams split their regular-season meetings.

The race for the 3A Southern title is wide-open among four teams. Pahrump Valley and Boulder City are tied in the Desert League standings. Reigning 3A state champion Virgin Valley and Moapa Valley are separated by half a game in the Mountain League standings.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on Twitter.