Findlay Prep smothers undersized Las Vegas

As time wound down in the second half, 5-foot-10-inch D’Anthony Wade found himself guarding Findlay Prep’s 7-1 reserve center Kingsley Okoroh.

Such was the mismatch that Las Vegas High faced Friday night.

Findlay Prep, ranked No. 1 nationally by USA Today, held the host Wildcats to one second-half field goal on the way to a 77-33 victory.

“Defensively right now we’re really trying to get stops every single possession,” Findlay Prep coach Todd Simon said. “That’s what we’ve always been about. So I was pretty happy. We’ve done that now for a few games, and everything else will take care of itself.”

Las Vegas (1-2) was 0-for-10 from the field in the third quarter, and its only second-half basket came on a putback by Aziz Leeks with 4:12 left. The Pilots outscored the Wildcats 34-8 after halftime.

“In the second half when they were lagging a little bit, maybe a little low on intensity, they figured out how to turn that switch,” Las Vegas coach Jason Wilson said. “That’s the reason they’re in the top three in the nation.”

Nigel Williams-Goss, who has signed with Washington, got Findlay off to a strong start in the first half with 10 points and seven assists to help the Pilots (12-0) to a 43-25 halftime lead. Williams-Goss, a rare four-year player for Findlay, finished with 12 points, four rebounds, eight assists and two steals.

“He’s been on another level this year,” Simon said. “As a point guard, he’s a coach on the floor. Four years in the program; we’re going to miss him next year, I know that.”

Stanford Robinson and UNLV recruit Christian Wood each had 15 points to lead Findlay. Robinson, a 6-3 guard headed to Indiana, added three assists, four steals and two blocked shots.

Las Vegas didn’t back down from the Pilots in the first half, taking the ball right at the group of barnstorming college prospects. But the Wildcats were no match for Findlay’s size and athleticism.

“You’ve got to approach this game the same way you would regardless of who’s on the floor,” Wilson said. “You walk out intimidated, you kill yourself before it even starts. I thought they did a good job of that.

“Our kids played hard, and that’s what we told them to do.”

Leeks led the Wildcats with 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals.