2024 4A BOYS AND GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE
Four local teams punched their tickets to State last week, and we here at Battle Born Preps would like to congratulate the players, coaches, and fans of all four. We will start with the girls side of things where the Bishop Manogue Miners captured another Northern Title by dispatching the Spanish Springs Cougars. The Cougars kept it close, down by one after a quarter, nine at the half, and eleven after three quarters, but they could not close the gap in the fourth, losing 57-48. The Miners were led, in scoring, by senior Milasarai Tau’s 17 points. The Cougars leading scorer was Layni Noonkester, senior, who scored 11 points.
UP NEXT FOR THE GIRLS
Northern Champions Bishop Manogue head to State with an impressive 24-1 record, ranked third in the state behind 5A powers Bishop Gorman and Centennial. Manogue’s opening round opponent will be Legacy. Legacy brings a 20-10 record North with them after coming in second in the 4A south. Legacy went an impressive 14-0 in league play this year after starting the season 0-5. Legacy is led in scoring by Alabama Nieves, 14 points per game. Jaleese McKenzie averages 8.2 rebounds per game for the Legacy and also averages four steals per game. Ajalee Williams averages 8.1 rebounds per game for Legacy which speaks to the importance rebounding will be when these two teams tip-off.
Spanish Springs faces the number one team from the 4A south, Canyon Springs. Canyon Springs went 7-5 in league but got hot at the right time of the year, finishing the season with a 22-8 record. Canyon Springs is ranked 22nd in the State, according to MaxPreps, who has Spanish Springs 11th. The Pioneers are led in scoring by junior Ariyanah Custard, 10.7 points per game. Senior Kenijae Cherry pulls down an impressive 9.5 rebounds per game for the Pioneers, and Jayda Bell, senior, snags three steals per game.
Winners from Wednesday’s semifinal games will meet Thursday night, Lawlor, 7:20 PM
UP NEXT FOR THE GUYS
The Reno Huskies trailed Damonte Ranch 16-15 after one quarter, 30-17 at the half, and 39-31 after three quarters, but they scored 16 in the 4th to win the North, 47-43. Up next for Reno High will be the runner-up from the 4A south, Sierra Vista. The Mountain Lions come North with a 21-9 overall record after going 9-1 in league play. They lost to Somerset Academy Losee (SAL), 85-80, after having split the regular season series with them. Leading scorer for the Mountain Lions is Khamari Taylor, senior, who is averaging 15 points per game. Sierra Vista is ranked 11th in the state, Reno is ranked 9th.
Damonte Ranch will play the 4A Southern champion Somerset Academy Losee, (SAL). Damonte comes in ranked 8th in the state, SAL 5th; SAL went 9-1 in league and are 24-3 overall, and coming off a 3A state championship last year. Two of their losses, this season, were to the 3rd ranked team in the state, Arbor View, and the third a late season loss to Sierra Vista. In the 4A Southern Championship game, SAL were down 33-25 at the half, but like Reno, rallied in the second half for the victory. Junior Roderick Johnson leads SAL in scoring with 15.6 points per game.
#2 North, Damonte Ranch vs #1 South, Somerset Academy Losee, Lawlor Events Center, 8:40 PM Wednesday
Winners from Wednesday’s semifinal games will meet Thursday night, at Lawlor, 9:00 PM
PLAN AHEAD
Do yourself a favor and plan ahead for the game. The NIAA encourages fans to get tickets in advance and to then show proof of the purchased ticket or tickets on your phone. Tickets are sold through HomeTown Ticketing, the NIAA’s official partner for postseason ticket sales. Tickets are available both through the ticket page on the NIAA website (niaa.com/tickets/index) and the HomeTown Ticketing app.
Admission prices for NIAA postseason region and state events (per event) are as follows: adults: $12, students with a valid high school $5, kids ages 8 and younger are admitted free. According to the NIAA website, there is a $2 surcharge, per ticket, for all games at the University of Nevada. NIAA Activity Cards and Lifetime Passes will be honored for the named pass holder (with valid ID) and one guest.
Games will be taking place Wednesday and Thursday at Lawlor Events Center on the University of Nevada Campus (which is in session, so be ready for parking and traffic issues). Lawlor Events Center is located on the western edge of the University of Nevada campus and event parking will be available in the upper levels of the parking garage just north of the facility, accessible from East 16th Street.
If the concessions stands aren’t your thing, you can walk across the street to “The Joe”, the Joe Crowley Student Union, where there’s a plethora of dining options including sushi wraps, pizza, boba, Habit Burger, Keva Juice, Port-of-Subs, Starbucks, and Panda Express. The Joe is open until 10pm weeknights, but most of the dining closes at 7:00 PM.
Comments