ROUNDUP: Longhorns drive to tourney win
Tiffany Richardson doesn’t shy away in condemning her players from always relying on the 3-point shot.
The seventh-year Legacy girls basketball coach often finds herself urging her playes to drive to the basket.
In their 47-36 victory over Foothill in Saturday’s championship game of the Vegas Valley Invitational at Tarkanian Basketball Academy, the Longhorns did exactly that.
Buoyed by seniors Deja Brown (19 points) and Tori Payne (15 points), Legacy shied away from a heavy dose of perimeter shots to drive the lane in successful fashion.
“We weren’t settling for the outside shots,” Richardson said. “I’ve got two girls who think they’re probably the best 3-point shooters in the world, but I have to tell them to go to the basket.”
The Longhorns used a 13-4 run toward the end of the first half to cement a 24-16 halftime lead. Brown had 13 points in the half. She also connected on 2 of 4 3-point shots.
“This lets my girls know that we can pretty much play with anyone if we play within ourselves, take the shots that we want and not the shots people are giving us,” Richardson said.
Legacy also implemented a zone defense, a new facet of their game, to limit the Falcons offense.
Anaya Rodisha led Foothill with 13 points.
Legacy 39, Boulder City 31 — Tori Payne had 14 points as the Longhorns outlasted the Eagles in a semifinal.
Deja Brown added 12 points for Legacy.
Whitney Barlow paced Boulder City with 16 points.
Legacy 40, Basic 22 — Payne led a balanced attack with 10 points as the Longhorns started their day with a win over the Wolves.
Jayla Brown had seven points for Basic.
Foothill 57, Animo (Calif.) 31 — Kailani Killebrew scored 20 points as the Falcons stormed past the Panthers in a semifinal.
Taylor Turney added 10 points for Foothill.
Quinda Powers had 11 points for Animo.
Foothill 42, Cimarron-Memorial 16 — Turney had 12 points, and the Falcons cruised by the Spartans.
Emily Cox had six points for Cimarron.
Southeast (Calif.) 51, Desert Pines 38 — Carrera had 24 points to lead Southeast past Desert Pines in the consolation final.
Raven Thomas and Jade Hazelton each had 11 points for Desert Pines.
Desert Pines 46, Holy Martyrs (Calif.) 22 — Thomas led three double-figure scorers with 16 points as the Jaguars rolled by the Armens.
Chrystian Myles added 11 points, and Hazelton scored 10 for Desert Pines.
Desert Pines 36, Rancho 35 — Cydney Myles led all scorers with 16 points, and the Jaguars rallied from a four-point halftime deficit to nip the Rams.
LaKissa Martin led Rancho with nine points.
Boulder City 50, Animo (Calif.) 32 — Barlow had 27 points to power the Eagles by the Panthers.
Alyssa Ybarra added 10 points for Boulder City.
Durango 47, Basic 44 — Brittany Reno had 21 points to help the Trailblazers nip the Wolves.
Jasmine Chavez added 12 points for Durango.
Dana Deloney had 16 points, and Brown scored 10 for Basic.
Holy Martyrs (Calif.) 48, Durango 43 — The Trailblazers forced overtime, but fell to the Armens.
Chavez led Durango with 27 points.
Canyon Springs 43, Cimarron-Memorial 16 — Mandy Chitwood led a balanced attack with 11 points as the Pioneers ran past the Spartans.
Cox had seven points for Cimarron.
Animo (Calif.) 59, Canyon Springs 52 — Sankia Braxton scored 22 points to lead the Panthers by the Pioneers.
Cherise Beynon had 11 points, and Alexia Thrower scored 10 to lead Canyon Springs.
Western 46, Sunrise Mountain 32 — Destiny Gonzalez had 14 points, and Capricia Pierce scored 11 as the Warriors topped the Miners.
Ayla Diaz had 11 points for Sunrise Mountain.
Southeast (Calif.) 52, Western 30 — Genesis Carrera had 26 points to lead the Jaguars by the Warriors.
Pierce paced Western with 13 points.
Rancho 41, Sunrise Mountain 15 — LaKissa Martin scored 14 points, and Darje Martin added 10 points to help the Rams roll over the Miners.
Southeast (Calif.) 51, Sunrise Mountain 40 — Carrera had 22 points to lead the Jaguars by the Miners.
Brittany Veal led Sunrise Mountain with 11 points.
Clark 68, Eldorado 52 — At Eldorado, Bobbi Floyd had 21 points, and Johnice Bland added 20 points to lead the Chargers past the Sundevils.
Cequadva Belsar scored 12 for Clark, which led 46-41 after three quarters before pulling away.
Denisheun Jackson paced Eldorado with 23 points, and teammate Desia Walker scored 13.