Greer turns teammate’s pass into big three-point play, lifts Del Sol

Del Sol boys basketball coach Tyler Ehrke preaches unselfish play to his team. So he had to be pleased when two of his key seniors teamed to score a bucket in one of the game’s biggest moments Friday night.

With the Dragons trailing Chaparral by a point with less than a minute to play, Del Sol got the ball to Noah Spearman in the high post. Spearman drove to the bucket, but instead of forcing a shot, dropped a pass to Brian Greer, who completed a three-point play to give Del Sol the lead for good in a 61-58 home win.

“It’s one of the benefits of having a team with upperclassmen is they don’t panic,” Ehrke said. “That’s what we’ve been talking to them about is sharing the ball and making each other’s lives better. That’s exactly what we talked about in the locker room was giving props to Noah for not being the one to take that shot, but dishing it off and being an unselfish player.”

Greer’s three-point play gave the Dragons (18-6, 9-3 Sunrise League) a 57-55 lead, and Rashaun Lawson scored the team’s final four points. Lawson had 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter and finished with a game-high seven assists.

“Win or lose, the ball’s going to be in his hands,” Ehrke said. “We drew up some plays for him coming off a high ball screen, and he was able to get to the bucket.”

Chaparral’s Samuel Porras missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer with 45 seconds to play, and Spearman got the rebound. The Cowboys (14-10, 9-3) had only four team fouls at the time, so they had to commit three fouls before sending Lawson to the line for a one-and-one.

He missed the front end, but got his own rebound and made a 12-foot jumper to push the lead to 59-55 with 28 seconds to play.

Chaparral got a 3-pointer by Marc Salas to pull within 59-58 with a second to go. Lawson then hit two free throws, and Silas’ 3-pointer at the buzzer was short.

Greer had 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead Del Sol, which got a big boost from Noah and Jonathan Spearman. Noah Spearman had 10 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots, and Jonathan Spearman came off the bench to add eight points and 13 rebounds.

“They both have such good motors,” Ehrke said. “They just never quit playing.”

Silas had 20 points, five rebounds and five assists to pace Chaparral. Porras added 15 points and seven rebounds, and Maharie Trotter had 11 points and 14 rebounds.

The teams are tied for second in the league with two games to play, but Chaparral still must face league leader Desert Pines, giving Del Sol the edge to host a playoff game. The Dragons have never made the postseason.

Contact reporter Damon Seiters at dseiters@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4587. Follow him on Twitter: @DamonSeiters.