SUNRISE GIRLS: Green Valley, Silverado advance to title game

Green Valley’s Vajae Robinson considered the unthinkable for a brief moment.

With her team trailing Liberty by six points at halftime Friday, Robinson debated the possibility that the heavily favored Gators could lose their Sunrise Region semifinal.

The 6-foot-2-inch center quickly forced the negativity out of her head. She went on to post 11 points, 25 rebounds and seven blocks to help Green Valley rally for a 53-38 victory on the Patriots’ home floor.

The Gators (27-3) advanced to the final against Silverado (24-5) at 2 p.m. today.

“I thought about (losing) for just a second,” Robinson said. “But I don’t like to think like that. We just all pumped each other up, and we knew what we had to go out and do.”

Gators coach Lorenzo Jarvis, who lost top player Jazmine Jarvis to a first-quarter knee injury, said he didn’t lose faith in his team.

“I never even thought about it,” said coach Jarvis, whose team struggled in the first half against Liberty’s quick, floor-running style. “If the coach’s confidence gets down, the players’ confidence will get down.”

The Gators appeared to lack confidence early, and their 15 first-half turnovers helped Liberty build a 29-23 lead.

But in the third quarter, Green Valley seemed energized and Liberty (19-10) lethargic. The Gators used a 10-0 run to take a 33-29 lead, capped by Robinson’s 6-footer with 3:23 left in the quarter.

The Patriots failed to respond, scoring four points in the quarter to trail 38-33, and they never got untracked again. Liberty shot 14 percent in the second half, and the Gators pulled away.

“This is a team,” Lorenzo Jarvis said. “We’re not a one-man team. Our leader (Jazmine Jarvis) went down, and our players stepped it up.”

Sarah Pickus had 16 points and seven rebounds for Green Valley, and Danielle Christenson made all 11 free-throw attempts while scoring 15.

Jade Washington had 12 points and seven rebounds to lead Liberty, and Daynice Cochran had nine points and 17 rebounds.

Silverado 51, Coronado 31 — In the first semifinal, the Skyhawks took control early with a 12-2 run and coasted past the Cougars (16-12).

Shea Collins had 16 points  to lead Silverado, and Mikayla Thielges posted 14 points and 12 rebounds. The Skyhawks held Coronado to 10 points in the first half.

“We knew defense was going to be the key,” Silverado coach Kelli Bray-Mathews said. “That’s been our weakness all year long, so we’ve been working on defense and boxing out.”

A 10-0 run by the Skyhawks in the second quarter widened their lead to 29-8, and the Cougars couldn’t mount a rally.

Stacy Rapp scored nine points to lead Coronado.