Message received: Littles plays big as Foothill edges Las Vegas

Torrance Littles spent most of the Foothill boys basketball team’s previous game watching from the bench.

“Just to try to send him a message,” Falcons coach Kevin Soares said. “He wasn’t in it mentally.”

Littles didn’t have that issue Friday.

The 6-foot-7-inch senior power forward finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds, and visiting Foothill held on for a 64-62 victory over No. 4 Las Vegas in a battle of top-five teams.

“I’m glad we scheduled it to this time because it gives us a little of a playoff atmosphere,” Soares said. It’s just good that our kids were mentally tough enough to pull out the win.”

Littles, who finished 11-for-22 from the field and also had four blocked shots and two steals, dominated the matchup between two of the Sunrise Region’s best big men. Las Vegas’ Tyler Bey, a 6-7 junior, sat the entire second quarter with two fouls and ended up with eight points and three rebounds.

Kevin Woodland added 15 points, including two free throws with four seconds left that gave No. 5 Foothill (18-4) a 64-59 advantage.

“I remember they beat us last year,” Littles said, “and I wanted to go out and get revenge and, meanwhile, prove myself to my coach.”

Bey missed a chance for a three-point play with 1:26 remaining, but his basket still brought the Wildcats (17-6) to within 59-57. After Ryan Rapp went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final minute to put Foothill up 62-59, Devon Colley missed two 3-point attempts that would have tied the game.

“He sat most of the fourth quarter, and to come in the game pretty much ice cold, get fouled right away and knock down — he went 3-for-4 down the stretch — that’s clutch on his part,” Soares said of Rapp. “I tell each kid that they have a job to do. His job is to make free throws when we have the lead.”

Colley had 25 points and hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for Las Vegas, which went 8-for-31 from 3-point range. Patrick Savoy added 13 points and seven rebounds before fouling out early in the fourth quarter, and reserve forward Marquise Raybon had eight points and 10 boards.

Foothill went inside to Littles right from the start, and he finished the first half with 17 points and seven rebounds as the Falcons led 36-34 at the break. Littles then sparked a 9-0 run to open the third quarter, which gave the Falcons their biggest lead, 45-34.

“He hasn’t been playing that well lately,” Soares said. “He stepped up like a senior tonight and answered the call.”

Contact reporter David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidSchoenLVRJ.