SUNSET BOYS: Palo Verde’s Vogelei lets defense make statement

But the 6-foot junior guard played a huge role off the bench in the second half.

Vogelei came up with three steals in the third quarter, and the Panthers fed off his intensity to go on a 20-2 third-quarter run on the way to a 75-72 victory over Centennial in the Sunrise Region boys basketball semifinals at Arbor View.

“His tenaciousness and his battle … he doesn’t care what size the kid is,” Palo Verde coach Paul Sanchez said. “We’ve had him guard big guys before. He just works hard and he does a great job. He did well.”

The Panthers (19-8) play Bishop Gorman (24-6) at 7 p.m. Friday at Arbor View for the championship.

Palo Verde sparked the run with its defense, forcing seven third-quarter turnovers and turning them into 12 points.

“When we force turnovers, get out and run and get in transition, it really just opens up our game,” said junior guard Taylor Miller, who finished with a team-high 17 points.

“We had a lot of energy, getting stops and getting shots and that’s what we do best.”

Centennial (21-6) led 34-30 before Connor Lemmon started the run with a runner with 4:59 to go in the third quarter. The Panthers extended their lead to 50-36 on a 3-pointer from the left corner by Ja Morgan with 29 seconds to go in the third.

“Our defense opens up our offense,” said Miller, who had 11 points in the second half. “Once we started getting some stops and pushing the ball, we really got that ball movement and were able to hit (shots).”

The stops were fewer in the fourth quarter as Troy Brown and Darrian Traylor drove to the basket almost at will to spark Centennial’s comeback. Brown scored 16 of his game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter.

“We had a lead and they fought back, and it’s good to hold onto those,” Miller said. “Because it’s terrible when you let them get away.”

The Bulldogs cut the lead to two three times in the final 1:06, but Palo Verde was able to hold on at the free-throw line. The Panthers were 11-for-14 from the line in the fourth quarter. Vogelei was 5-for-6 from the line in the fourth quarter, and 7-for-8 in the game. He also had six rebounds and two assists.

“Some guys hit some clutch free throws,” Miller said. “That was big time. We really needed that. A lot of guys came off the bench and played big. Ryan played big, so that really helped us out a lot.”

Grant Dressler had 16 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots for the Panthers, who got 16 points from Lemmon and 14 from Morgan. Miller added seven rebounds.

Traylor had 17 points and nine rebounds, and Garett Scheer had 14 points and nine rebounds for Centennial. Brown added 14 rebounds for the Bulldogs.

“We knew that everyone was sleeping on us,” Miller said. “Everyone thought they were going to roll over us. But we knew that we were going to win. We had a lot of confidence, and we really executed.”

Bishop Gorman 93, Bonanza 52 — After a sluggish start that saw the Gaels miss five 3-pointers in the first 2:13 of the game, Gorman took advantage of its size to blow out the Bengals.

“It’s so tempting because it was open,” Gorman coach Grant Rice said of the early 3-point attempts. “But no matter how much we stress to work high-low and work inside out, guys see how open they are and their eyes light up. But sometimes there’s a reason you’re open, because we’re playing into their hands.”

Chase Jeter, a 6-11 senior, had 22 points and 13 rebounds to lead the charge for Gorman. The Gaels outrebounded Bonanza 59-21, and scored 33 second-chance points.

“We called a quick timeout and just talked about trying to work inside out and then, obviously, sending four guys to the glass,” Rice said. “And we were able to take advantage of our size on the offensive glass.”

Stephen Zimmerman, a 7-0 senior, added 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots, and 6-5 senior Nick Blair had 18 points, six rebounds and three steals for Gorman. Zach Collins, a 6-11 junior, added eight points and six rebounds for the Gaels.

DaVonta Price, Bonanza’s tallest player at 6-6, led the Bengals (19-8) with 26 points and six rebounds.

“Bonanza did a really good job,” Rice said. “They cut the lead to about 17 in the second half, and they played hard. DaVonta Price, the senior, was really, really good tonight. I was really impressed with him.

“He caught the ball in the middle, attacked the basket and finished and had confidence. And that’s half the battle.”