Cimarron defense closes out Sunset play-in victory over Arbor View

Cimarron-Memorial had ample opportunities on offense to make its basketball life easier Friday.

Instead, the Spartans buckled down and had one of their best defensive efforts of the year to extend their season.

Cimarron overcame early turnover problems and shaky free-throw shooting to hold off Arbor View 55-49 in a boys Northwest League play-in game at Centennial. The Spartans (9-18) earned the league’s No. 4 seed for the Sunset Region tournament, which begins Tuesday.

“We have a bunch of young guys, and the seniors are inexperienced,” Cimarron coach Chris Walker said. “We’ve been preaching defense the whole season, but the last three weeks, they have really bought in and competed to where we even got into this position.”

With his team trailing 47-46 with less than three minutes to go, senior center Terrell Walker drove for his only basket to give the Spartans the lead for good.

Walker, who had only two points but nine blocked shots, made a wonderful play on a rebound of an Arbor View missed shot just more than a minute later.

After the ball was tipped by two players, Walker leaped to grab it in the air. Fading out of bounds, he quickly shifted the ball into his right hand and threw it off an Arbor View player, and it ricocheted out of bounds with 1:13 left.

“He’s an emotional player, and if he doesn’t get going on offense, sometimes his defense doesn’t pick up,” Chris Walker said. “Tonight his defense picked up.”

Six seconds later, Cimarron’s LaRon Young hit two free throws to expand the lead to 51-47.

The Aggies’ only points in the final 3:20 came on a third-chance basket by Jesse Vogel with 28.1 seconds left. Arbor View (6-20) shot 4 of 16 from the field in the fourth quarter and 16 of 51 overall.

Jadon Brown scored 14 points for Cimarron, which will visit No. 1 Bishop Gorman on Tuesday.

“We want to say we made the playoffs with an inexperienced group, and we were able to play against Gorman, which is the cream of the crop,” Chris Walker said. “These guys have earned the right to play them.”

Trent Hunt had 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead Arbor View.

Contact reporter Bartt Davis at bdavis@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5230.