Durango boys win in overtime
Even with an eight-point lead in the final two minutes of regulation, Durango boys basketball coach DeShawn Henry was “sweating bullets” Wednesday night.
And just as Henry feared, Sierra Vista rattled off an 11-3 run to send the game into overtime.
But the host Trailblazers went on a 9-1 run in the last two minutes of the extra period to come away with an 88-84 Southwest League win.
“With one minute to go, I’m still shaking in my boots because they’re very well coached, can get buckets quickly and make big plays,” Henry said of Sierra Vista. “In my opinion, not only are they well coached, but they are the best team in our league.”
But it was Durango (19-7, 14-2) that clinched the Southwest’s No. 2 seed for the Sunset Region quarterfinals. The Trailblazers will host whoever finishes third in the Northwest.
“This is real big,” Durango guard Marcus Falley said. “I think we’re going to play Mojave or Centennial rather than Palo (Verde), so that’s kind of good for us.”
Sierra Vista (23-7, 11-4) will open the postseason on the road.
Shawn Jones scored 21 of his 32 points in the first half to lead the Trailblazers, who finished the regular season on an eight-game winning streak.
Falley added 23 points and Dario Jokic 20 for Durango.
After Devonte Williams’ layup gave the Trailblazers an 84-83 lead in overtime, Falley scored four points in the final minute to seal the win.
Ray Tapusoa scored 27 points to lead Sierra Vista. Quinten Chow (21), Amir Garrett (14) and Dallin Molina (10) also scored in double figures.
But the Mountain Lions shot only 10-for-28 from the free-throw line.
“That’s something we work on every single day, and I guess we can work on it a little more,” Sierra Vista coach Kent Johnson said.
Johnson said he wanted his team in a different offensive set in the final two minutes of overtime but wasn’t able to relay the message before Durango regained the lead.
“Maybe I should have called timeout and made the call,” he said. “The fact of the matter is, my kids gave it everything they had. I let them down on this one. I should have had us in a different situation.”
