Tri-State Invitational: Late bucket, block help Shadow Ridge capture Elite Bracket title
One shot and one swat were all Shadow Ridge needed Friday as time expired in the Elite Bracket championship game of the Tri-State Invitational on Friday.
Scrappy point guard Garin Macfarlane weaved his way through four defenders en route to the hoop to give the Mustangs (5-10) a 52-51 lead with 20 seconds left, and Quinshon McGee’s block of Silverado’s Martell Williams at the buzzer preserved the win.
“My teammates spaced out the floor for me and got me the ball and I just knew I had to be aggressive to score,” Macfarlane said. “On the defensive end, Q came up with that big block to help us win.”
Jordan Gray led the Mustangs with 15 points. Macfarlane finished with 12 points, while McGee had nine points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
After Macfarlane’s go-ahead bucket, Silverado (7-6) had two chances.
Caden Farley found a seam to the hoop in the final seconds, only to see his lay-up trace the rim. Williams quickly grabbed the rebound and went back for a game-winning attempt, but McGee’s block ended up near the scorer’s table as the final buzzer sounded.
“I just knew it was the last second, and I had to make a play,” McGee said. “He was working me and Jordan all game, so I knew I had to step up on defense at that last second.”
Williams finished with a double-double for Silverado, scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, while Farley had 10 points.
The Skyhawks held a seven-point lead midway through the second quarter, taking an 18-11 lead courtesy of a Williams lay-up. But Shadow Ridge closed the first half on a 13-4 run behind Macfarlane, McGee, and Gray, and took a 24-22 into the locker room at halftime.
The Mustangs continued to get a balanced effort from their roster, while all of Silverado’s points in the third quarter came from Williams, as the Skyhawks were 4-for-9 from the field while falling behind by six, 38-32.
“We told them at halftime they have the ability to come back, they have some scorers, they play multiple defenses, so the biggest thing we had to do offensively is adjust to what they were doing and keep attacking,” Shadow Ridge coach Pat Welby said.
Silverado grabbed a 43-41 lead midway through the fourth quarter behind back-to-back 3-pointers from Dyami Dixon. The teams traded baskets before Silverado’s John Francis, who was nursing four fouls, buried two free throws to give the Skyhawks a 51-50 just before the final sequence.
“I’ve got to give credit to Shadow Ridge, they made spectacular plays,” Silverado coach Colin Darfour said. “When they got into the half-court set, (Garin) knew what we were trying to do, and he wasn’t going to be denied. He drove it, made a great spin move and I thought we defended it well, but he made it.
“The block at the end, Martell was going to score that if it wasn’t blocked. In the end, they had two players that made spectacular plays and that’s what basketball is all about.”
Desert Oasis 87, Hurricane (Utah) 63 — Jacob Heese scored 45 points and earned the tournament MVP, while Kamari Burnside added 17 and Nate Van chipped in with 11 for Desert Oasis.
The Diamondbacks set a new school record with thirteen 3-pointers – nine from Heese – en route to the Platinum Bracket championship.
Jackson Last scored 26 points to lead Hurricane, while Adam Heyrend added 16.
Basic 71, Spring Valley 59 — Geoff Faries scored 18 of his game-high 29 points in the first quarter to lead the Wolves over the Grizzlies in the Elite Bracket consolation.
Faries connected on five 3-pointers — four in the first quarter.
Peter Nelson had 15 points and Joseph Ramirez added eight for the Wolves.
Anthony Dodson led Spring Valley with 16 points.
Rancho 56, Virgin Valley 34 — Jahleel Stevens scored 14 points, and Tejai Washington had 13 to lead the Rams over the Bulldogs in the Gold Division championship.
Rancho outscored the Bulldogs 31-16 in the second and third quarters to pull away for the win. James Brown added 11 points for the Rams.
Jason Brooks scored a team-high 13 points to lead the Bulldogs.
Sunrise Mountian 54, Lincoln County 51 — Dalvin Brown led the Miners with 15 points in their victory over the Lynx.
Brown scored seven of his points in the fourth quarter to help stave off a late rally by the Lynx.
Alex Vincent led Lincoln County with a game-high 20 points.