SIERRA VISTA INVITATIONAL: Relentless Chitwood helps Pioneers outlast Foothill girls

Mandy Chitwood spent the first few minutes after Thursday’s game breathing heavily and looking for someplace cool to sit.

The Canyon Springs senior had spent the previous quarter and half chasing Foothill sharpshooter Taylor Turney all around Sierra Vista’s gym.

Chitwood’s constant pursuit of the Falcons’ leading scorer was a big reason why the Pioneers posted a 54-49 win over Foothill’s girls basketball team in the Sierra Vista Invitational.

“Mandy just stepped up as a leader,” said Canyon Springs coach Dorothy Kendrick. “We knew that Taylor was a good point guard, and we had to eliminate her game and force her to get the ball to someone else.”

Turney drained a 3-pointer from the right wing to give Foothill a 36-32 lead with 4 minutes, 50 seconds to go in the third quarter.

The Pioneers then switched to a box-and-one defense, giving Chitwood the task of shadowing Turney.

“Mandy is quick, she’s resilient,” Kendrick said. “She’s going to give you everything she’s got on that court, and that’s what she did. She knows what needs to be done.”

And it worked perfectly.

Canyon Springs scored the final nine points of the quarter, part of a 16-4 run that gave the Pioneers a 48-40 lead after Minniya Wilson’s 3-pointer with 6:04 to go.

The Falcons battled back to within 50-49 and had the ball after a timeout with 49.9 seconds to play.

But Cherise Beynon’s steal and layup just 11 seconds later, and two more Foothill turnovers in the final 30 seconds of the game sealed the Falcons’ fate.

Canyon Springs’ top offensive threat, Beynon was saddled with foul trouble and sat for more than nine minutes of the game. As a result, she scored just seven points.

Several of her teammates, though, filled in, with LaKiya Yarber leading the way with 12 points. Daijhan Cooks and Alexia Thrower each scored 10, and Chitwood had nine points.

“Our bench did a tremendous job,” Kendrick said. “I can’t ask for more than what they gave us tonight. We needed everybody tonight.”

Turney finished with 20 points, and Anaya Rodisha scored 13 for Foothill, which committed 28 turnovers.

Canyon Springs 62, Del Sol 29 — Thrower led four double-figure scorers with 12 points as the Pioneers pulled away from the Dragons.

Beynon and Cooks each added 11 points, and Chitwood scored 10 for Canyon Springs.

Melissa DeSantiago led Del Sol with 11 points.

Liberty 79, Las Vegas 43 — Dayanni Cochran tallied 18 of her 30 points in the first half, helping the Patriots build a 48-16 halftime edge on their way to a win over the Wildcats.

Cochran added 10 rebounds for Liberty, which advanced to the title game at 4:30 p.m. Friday against the winner of Friday’s Coronado-Canyon Springs game.

Paris Strawther added 18 points, and Kealy Brown had 15 points for Liberty.

Matti Ventling had 16 points, and Shaleea Butler scored 12 – all in the second half – for Las Vegas.

Liberty 63, Palo Verde 19 — Brown paced four double-figure scorers with 14 points as the Patriots routed the Panthers.

Tae’lor Monroe added 13 points, and Sydney Clark and Cochran each had 11 points for Liberty.

Amber Cornelius led Palo Verde with six points.

Del Sol 47, Legacy 43 — Chloe Cabanas tallied 14 points, and the Dragons scored the only four points of overtime to nip the Longhorns.

DeSantiago added 12 points for Del Sol.

Deja Brown paced Legacy with 18 points, and teammate Tori Payne scored 12.

Foothill 49, Legacy 38 — Turney tallied 25 points, and the Falcons used an 11-1 third-quarter run to top the Longhorns.

Justice Akins, Brown and Payne each had nine points for Legacy.

Las Vegas 61, Silverado 49 — Shomari Harris poured in 23 points to help the Wildcats down the Skyhawks.

Ventling and Talayia Teagues each added 10 points for Las Vegas.

Brittany Loguidice had 22 points, and Jasmyn Garcia scored 14 for Silverado.

Silverado 55, Palo Verde 47 — Loguidice tallied 27 points to guide the Skyhawks by the Panthers.

Nallah Thomas had 16 points, and Ioana Ganeva scored 11 for Palo Verde.

Coronado 56, Sierra Vista 38 — Dajah Washington led a balanced attack with 12 points, and the Cougars used a 13-4 third-quarter burst to top the Mountain Lions.

Melia Tadytin had 13 points, and Enas Ajaj scored 12 for Sierra Vista.