LADY WOLVES TOURNEY: Basic girls remain calm down stretch, sail into championship game

With the lead — and the clock — dwindling, Basic girls basketball coach Teresa Gallegos feared her players might panic.

Then she remembered that was last year’s squad.

This season’s team remained calm down the stretch, nailing shots at key moments to beat Foothill 37-28 Tuesday in the semifinals of the Lady Wolves Holiday Tournament at Basic.

The victory lifted Basic into today’s championship game, where they will face Yosemite (Calif.) at 2 p.m.

Kailai Brantner and Marquichea Burns helped make the win possible with 11 points apiece, and the Wolves held off a furious rally by the Falcons in the final minutes.

“We stayed disciplined as a team,” said Gallegos, whose squad led 20-8 at halftime. “In the past, we were inexperienced and fearful of close games. Tonight we played to win instead of just trying to stay in it.”

Basic converted its first three field-goal attempts of the game to establish the tempo, and Foothill hurt itself by committing six first-quarter turnovers.

But the Falcons came out strong to start the second half, and Cheryl Harless nailed a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 25-18 with 2:21 left in the third.

Foothill continued to chip away, finally narrowing the margin to 29-24 on a 3-pointer by Samantha Gruetner with 5:45 remaining.

But Burns, who finished with 12 rebounds, controlled the backboards down the stretch to help the Wolves squelch the rally.

“Marquichea has played varsity for four years, and she has sort of struggled to find her role,” Gallegos said. “This year she is a captain, and her confidence level is up. When it comes down to crunch time, we want the ball in her hands.”

Harless led Foothill with 10 points.

Foothill 52, Clark 16 — Bri Higgons had 14 points to help the Falcons rout the Chargers.

Harless added 11 for Foothill, which held Clark to just six first-half points.

Jacquelin Garcia led the Chargers with nine points.

Yosemite (Calif.) 73, Desert Pines 50 — Syd Fipps scored 34 points to lead the Badgers, who jumped to a 48-24 halftime lead.

Labrea Walker scored 25 points to lead the Jaguars.

Cheyenne 53, Steveston-London (Canada) 28 — Janae Brown scored 11 points to help the Desert Shields cruise past the Sharks.

Britnee Shaw added 10 points for Cheyenne.

Basic 55, Desert Oasis 46 — Brantner scored 20 points as the Wolves defeated Desert Oasis.

Michaela Thomas scored 19 to help Basic.

Auburn Smith led the Diamondbacks with 16 points.

Marina (Calif.) 43, Las Vegas 19 — Janet Kim scored 12 points to help the Vikings roll over the Wildcats.

Shomari Harris and Leoneisha Jackson each had four points to lead Las Vegas.

Rancho 35, Virgin Valley 30 — Aisha Momodu scored 13 points to help lift the Rams over the Bulldogs.

Virgin Valley led 30-29 at the end of three quarters, but was held to a scoreless fourth.

Boulder City 66, Cimarron-Memorial 47 — Jessi Forrester scored 29 points to pace the Eagles past the Spartans.

Karlee Koopman added 16 points for Boulder City.

Tyler Simpson scored nine points to lead Cimarron.

Faith Lutheran 53, Tech 44 — Alex Treadwell scored 16 points and the Crusaders used a late surge to beat the Roadrunners.

Mesha Phillips led Tech with 12 points.

Las Vegas 53, Clark 27 — Harris scored 12 points to help the Wildcats cruise past the Chargers.

Jacquelin Garcia scored 10 points to lead Clark, which was held to two points in the third quarter.

Desert Pines 65, Desert Oasis 45 — Walker poured in 26 points as the Jaguars used a second-half spurt to defeat the Diamondbacks.

Tatiana Kearn scored 21 points for Desert Oasis, which trailed 33-31 at halftime.

Tech 63, Steveston-London (Canada) 41 — Phillips and Kristena Wilson each scored 16 points to lift the Roadrunners over the Sharks.

Virgin Valley 53, Cimarron-Memorial 46 — The Bulldogs rallied past the Spartans.

Madison Bowler scored 14 points to lead Virgin Valley.

Simpson led Cimarron with 11.

Cheyenne 42, Rancho 25 — Taryn Hicks scored 15 points to lead the Desert Shileds past the Rams.

Momodu and Erica Johnson each scored eight points to lead Rancho.

Boulder City 56, Faith Lutheran 52 — Forrester scored 14 to help the Eagles hold off the Crusaders.

Treadwell and Kiah Mayo each scored 13 points to lead Faith Lutheran.