TIP-OFF CLASSIC: Wasatch edges Centennial for title

Centennial's boys basketball team played 24 seconds of great defense late in the fourth quarter Saturday night.

The Bulldogs needed to clamp down for just a little bit longer.

Wasatch Academy's Josip Vrankic made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left, and Centennial fell 65-61 in the title game of the Legacy Tip-Off Classic.

"We're disappointed," Centennial coach Todd Allen said. "The kids are competitors in the locker room. I'm proud of the effort. It was a heck of a game."

Troy Brown finished with 33 points and 10 rebounds for Centennial (4-1), and scored 11 of his team's 13 fourth-quarter points.

Brown made a 3-pointer in transition with 26.7 seconds left to tie the game at 61, and with time winding down, the Bulldogs double-teamed Wasatch Academy point guard Koby McEwen at the top of the key and appeared to have him trapped.

But McEwen, a Utah State signee, managed to find a small opening and passed to Vrankic on the wing. Vrankic then rattled home his fourth 3-pointer of the game to put the Tigers on top 64-61.

Centennial's long inbound went out of bounds, and McEwen hit 1 of 2 free throws with 0.5 seconds left after Wasatch Academy was awarded possession.

"To come down and have a chance to win it, it's a good teaching moment for us," Allen said. "We've just got to get better from here."

McEwen finished with 19 points and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Vrankic also had 19 points for the Tigers.

Brown had 15 points in the first half, and Centennial knocked down seven 3s to take a 35-34 lead at halftime.

Centennial grabbed its biggest lead of the game in the third quarter when Isaiah Banks went coast to coast for a layup to make the score 46-42, and Brown's silky finger-roll with 5:21 left in the fourth quarter put the Bulldogs up 54-51.

But McEwen capped an 8-0 run with a steal and layup that put Wasatch Academy up 59-54 with 1:52 left to play.

Jake Hutchings had nine points and eight rebounds for Centennial, and Banks added eight points.

Clovis East 66, Mojave 54 — At Legacy, Daryl Adams had 36 points, but it wasn't enough as the Rattlers lost to the Timberwolves in the third-place game.

Adams buried a step-back 3-pointer midway through the third quarter to bring Mojave within 38-35, and Tyrique Watson hit a 3-pointer just before the third-quarter buzzer as the Rattlers trailed 44-40.

Mojave was down 52-49 with three minutes left in the fourth quarter, and Adams had a three-point play with 1:50 left to cut the Rattlers' deficit to 56-52.

Clovis East answered with a 7-0 run as the Rattlers were unable to stop Trey Semien from getting into the lane. Semien finished with 32 points, and the Timberwolves went 26-for-36 from the free-throw line.

Green Valley 72, Palo Verde 69 — At Legacy, Canyon Lewis finished with 25 points, and Xavier Jarvis added 19 points as the Gators edged the Panthers in the consolation championship.

Matthew Tuttle made three 3-pointers and finished with 17 points for Green Valley, which led 40-22 at halftime.

Taylor Miller scored 26 of his game-high 33 points in the second half, and Logan McGhie scored 11 for Palo Verde.

The Panthers outscored Green Valley 27-14 in the third quarter to climb back into the game.

Centennial 69, Clovis East (Calif.) 41 — At Legacy, Hutchings had a game-high 23 points, and the Bulldogs overwhelmed the Timberwolves in the semifinals.

Brown added 17 points and helped slow down Clovis East guard Semien, who was limited to three points after scoring 25 points in the quarterfinals against Legacy.

Banks finished with 10 points for Centennial.

Hutchings scored 15 in first half as the Bulldogs led 34-24 at the break.

Spencer Matthes led Clovis East with 14 points.

Wasatch Academy (Utah) 88, Mojave 36 — At Legacy, Jackson Rowe had 19 points, and McEwen added 14 points as the Tigers routed the Rattlers in the semifinals.

Shamiel Stevenson had 13 points, and Emmanuel Akot scored 19 for Wasatch Academy, which led 40-17 at halftime.

Adams led Mojave with 16 points.

Rancho 70, Legacy 59 — At Legacy, Lamont Traylor poured in 31 points, and the Rams pulled away from the Longhorns in the second half.

Timothy Jeffries led Legacy with 17 points. Darious Dunson and Kameron Delgadillo each had 10 points for Legacy, which led 17-16 after the first quarter but was unable to hold on.

Rancho 51, Sunrise Mountain 38 — At Legacy, Chrys Jackson and Michael Hernandez had 12 points apiece to lead the Rams past the Miners.

Rancho opened the game on a 16-5 run and was never threatened.

Steven Adeyemi and Theodore Williams each had eight points to lead Sunrise Mountain.

Green Valley 55, Canyon View (Utah) 52 — At Legacy, Jarvis erupted for 19 of his 23 points in the first half, and the Gators held off the Falcons.

Lewis and Isiah Macklin each finished with 12 points for Green Valley, which led 33-19 at halftime.

Brantzen Blackner had 19 points to lead Canyon View. Lorenzo Camba added 13 points, and Joey Lambeth hit three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help the Falcons rally.

Silverado 73, Shadow Ridge 69 — At Legacy, Matthew Arnold scored 13 of his team-high 19 points in the fourth quarter, and the Skyhawks rallied to beat the Mustangs.

Kris Coe and Trevor Bubonovich each had 12 points, and Devin Ross added 10 points for Silverado, which outscored Shadow Ridge 30-13 in the fourth quarter.

Jerell Springer led the Mustangs with 23 points, and teammate James Fuller tallied 16 points, all in the first half as Shadow Ridge nabbed a 35-30 lead at the break.

Del Sol 69, Coral Academy 55 — At Legacy, Bo Beagle made four 3-pointers and finished with 18 points as the Dragons downed the Falcons.

Myles Dunn also hit four 3s and had 16 points for Del Sol, which opened the game on a 19-8 run and had 10 players score.

Kaleb Robinson led Coral Academy with 17 points. Isaiah Spears had 16 points, and Brennan Rosales scored 10 for the Falcons.

Palo Verde 71, Chaparral 61 — At Legacy, Miller had a game-high 21 points, and James Camp added 16 points as the Panthers used a big second half to top the Cowboys.

Cole Hendershot tallied nine of his 11 points in the second half for Palo Verde, which trailed 34-29 at halftime.

Jonathan Tendale led Chaparral with 15 points. Ben Kirschbaum notched 12 points, and Marc Silas scored 10 for the Cowboys.

Coral Academy 88, Shadow Ridge 68 — At Legacy, Spears had 25 points, and Robinson finished with 22 points as the Falcons defeated the Mustangs.

Ryan Dijno had 21 points, and Rosales added 15 points for Coral Academy, which led 45-32 at halftime.

Springer and Fuller led Shadow Ridge with 15 points apiece, and Isaiah Williams scored 10 for the Mustangs.

Spring Valley 58, St. Aloysius (Australia) 38 — At Legacy, Ryan Frazier had a team-high 17 points to lift the Grizzlies to the victory.

Eric Hansen and Paul Banks each had 10 points for Spring Valley.

Silverado 61, Del Sol 56 — At Legacy, Bubonovich had 18 points, and Arnold scored 16 as the Skyhawks held off the Dragons.

Ross added 12 points for Silverado, which outscored the Dragons 19-11 in the third quarter after the teams were knotted at 29 at halftime.

Dunn led Del Sol with 17 points, and Beagle added 10 points.

Chaparral 60, Canyon View (Utah) 58 — At Legacy, Silas had a game-high 20 points, and the Cowboys tipped the Falcons in overtime.

Marcus Hilliard added 17 points for Chaparral, which led 33-23 at halftime before Canyon View rallied in the second half.

Spring Valley 63, Legacy JV 34 — At Legacy, Hansen led five players in double figures with 12 points, and the Grizzlies topped the Longhorns.

Tahj Whitely and Sal Everett had 11 points each, and Frazier and Joseph Johnson added 10 points apiece for Spring Valley.

Sunrise Mountain 59, Legacy JV 51 — At Legacy, Rodney King had 18 points, and Alton Sanders scored 12 as the Miners beat the Longhorns.