DIVISION I-A: Desert Shields sink Eagles in return to playoffs

The Cheyenne boys basketball team didn’t waste any time Tuesday.

The Desert Shields  poured it on early and often to sink visiting Boulder City 69-53 in a quarterfinal of the Division I-A Southern Region tournament.

The Desert Shields, who won their first playoff game since 2009, will face Desert Pines in a semifinal at 8 p.m. Thursday at Sunrise Mountain.

“It’s just nice to be back (in the playoffs),” Desert Shields coach Teral Fair said with a smile. “We’ve had a long history of success. It’s just nice to be in the mix in the postseason.” 

Cheyenne (14-9) built a 24-7 first-quarter lead and shot 62.9 percent (17-for-27) from the field in the first half.

Stephen Miller supplied all 12 of his points in the first half for the Desert Shields. Jas Coulson had 13 points for Cheyenne, and Juwan Washington and Bryan Laws each scored 10 points.

Boulder City battled back from a 17-point halftime deficit, cutting Cheyenne’s lead to 44-33 with a 10-4 third quarter run. But Coulson’s bucket in the paint at the 4:26 mark sparked a 13-3 spurt that gave the Desert Shields a 57-36 advantage they would not relinquish.

“This is pretty rewarding,” Coulson said. “We’re one step closer to going to state. Everybody was on the same page and we just executed.”

Kaleb Bailey had 27 points for Boulder City (15-10), scoring 16 of the Eagles’ 23 first-half points.

With emotions riding high on each side, the teams tussled on two occasions, including players leaving the benches. An altercation with 22.6 seconds remaining led to the ejections of Cheyenne’s Joe Rose and Boulder City’s Michael Kelso.  

“It’s playoff intensity,” Fair said. “I really don’t fault their kids or our kids. For kids who are playing their last basketball game, the finality starts setting in. It’s an intense situation.”

Desert Pines 72, Mojave 49 — At Desert Pines, Donavin Wright led four double-figure scorers with 16 points as the Jaguars (24-3) cruised past the Rattlers (15-12).

Trevion Turner added 13 points, and Coby Myles and Re’meake Keith each had 10 points for Desert Pines. Keith added eight rebounds.

Malik Abbott led Mojave with nine points.

Clark 68, Virgin Valley 38 — At Clark, Sherron Wilson had 18 points as the Chargers (27-1) rolled by the Bulldogs (14-11).

Diontae Jones added 16 points, and Carter Olson scored 10 for Clark, which led 43-16 at the half, and will meet Chaparral at 4:40 p.m. Thursday at Sunrise Mountain.

Garrett Leavitt and Tyson Teerlink each had 15 points for Virgin Valley.

Chaparral 62, Faith Lutheran 49 — At Chaparral, Tyree McNeal had 23 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists to help the Cowboys (16-8) outlast the Crusaders (13-13).

Patrick Savoy added 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Jared Celestine had 13 points for Chaparral.

Sam Stevens had 17 points, and D’Khari Hicks scored 15 for Faith Lutheran.