LAS VEGAS | So far, so good for Aurora’s two boys basketball teams playing in the star-studded 2014 Tarkanian Classic.
Eaglecrest and Overland each posted first-round victories in their respective divisions at the tournament hosted by Bishop Gorman High School and attended by scores of Division I college coaches from across the land.
In the top division of the massive multi-state tournament, the Platinum Division, Overland went into halftime tied with Bountiful (Utah) at 26, but coach Danny Fisher’s team took the lead for good in the early stages of the second half on a Ryan Swan basket.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Padiet Wang and another by Brent Halliburton pushed the lead to nine and junior De’Ron Davis, senior Austin Conway and company took it from there. The Trailblazers pushed the lead into double figures and kept it there the rest of the way.
Davis finished with a team-high 18 points, followed by 16 from Conway, nine from Wang, eight for King Grant-Perry and seven from Reggie Gibson.
Overland (3-2) advances to face host Bishop Gorman — a 74-57 winner over Windward (California) in the first round — in a championship quarterfinal game scheduled for 6:50 p.m. MT Thursday. The winner is guaranteed a top-four place in the 16-team bracket.
Eaglecrest also used a strong second half performance to win its first round game in the Premier Division, a 76-63 decision over Desert Pines (Nevada) at Faith Lutheran High School.
Coach John Olander’s Raptors (5-1) led by three points after the first of the two 16-minute halves and tried to run away, as senior Blend Avdili scored 15 of his 23 points in the second half.
Desert Pines pulled within four points at 61-57 with just under five minutes left, but couldn’t overtake Eaglecrest, which got a team-high 25 points from sophomore Colbey Ross. Elijah Ross added 11 points and eight assists and Tyler Rawlins chipped in with six points.
The Raptors move over to Bishop Gorman High School for a 8:10 p.m. MT contest Thursday against Logan (Utah) with a guaranteed spot in the top four going to the winner.
The Tarkanian Classic continues through Saturday.
Full Platinum Division results/schedule, here; full Premier Division results/schedule, here.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
2014 TARKANIAN CLASSIC BOYS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
First round, Dec. 17 at Bishop Gorman H.S.
PLATINUM DIVISION
OVERLAND 63, Bountiful (Utah) 53
Score by halves:
Overland 26 37 — 63
Bountiful 26 27 — 53
Overland points: De’Ron Davis 7 4-4 18, Austin Conway 7 1-2 16, Padiet Wang 3 0-0 9, King Grant-Perry 3 2-2 8, Reggie Gibson 3 0-0 7, Brent Halliburton 1 0-0 3, Ryan Swan 1 0-0 2. Totals 25 7-8 63.
3-point field goals — Overland (6): Padiet Wang 3, Austin Conway, Reggie Gibson, Brent Halliburton
PREMIER DIVISION
EAGLECREST 76, Desert Pines (Nevada) 63
Score by halves:
Eaglecrest 37 39 — 76
Desert Pines 34 29 — 63
Eaglecrest points: Colbey Ross 25, Blend Avdili 23, Elijah Ross 11, Tyler Rawlins 6, Austin Forsberg 3
PLATINUM DIVISION SCOREBOARD/SCHEDULE
First round, Dec. 17
Upper bracket (at Bishop Gorman HS)
Game 1: Redondo Union (California) 72, Constitution (Pennsylvania) 64
Game 2: Chino Hills (California) 84, Foothills Christian (California) 73
Game 3: West Linn (Oregon) 64, Lone Peak (Utah) 49
Game 4: Corona Centennial (California) 76, Clark (Nevada) 50
Lower bracket (at Bishop Gorman HS)
Game 5: Bishop Gorman (Nevada) 74, Windward (California) 57
Game 6: OVERLAND 63, Bountiful (Utah) 53
Game 7: Putnam City West (Oklahoma) 63, Long Beach Poly (California) 57
Game 8: Prestonwood Christian (Texas) 56, Maranatha (California) 53
Dec. 18 schedule
Upper bracket
Consolation quarterfinal (Game 9): Constitution (Pennsylvania) vs. Foothills Christian (California), 12:30 p.m., Dec. 18
Championship quarterfinal (Game 10): Redondo Union (California) vs. Chino Hills (California), 12:30 p.m., Dec. 18
Consolation quarterfinal (Game 11): Lone Peak (Utah) vs. Clark (Nevada), 1:50 p.m., Dec. 18
Championship quarterfinal (Game 12): West Linn (Oregon) vs. Corona Centennial (California), 1:50 p.m., Dec. 18
Lower bracket
Consolation quarterfinal (Game 13): Windward (California) vs. Bountiful (Utah), 3:10 p.m., Dec. 18
Championship quarterfinal (Game 14): Bishop Gorman (Nevada) vs. OVERLAND, 5:50 p.m., Dec. 18
Consolation quarterfinal (Game 15): Long Beach Poly (California) vs. Maranatha (California), 4:30 p.m., Dec. 18
Championship quarterfinal (Game 16): Putnam City West (Oklahoma) vs. Prestonwood Christian (Texas), 7:10 p.m., Dec. 18
PREMIER DIVISION SCOREBOARD/SCHEDULE
Upper bracket (at Bishop Gorman HS)
Game 1: Timpview (Utah) 65, Righetti (California) 59
Game 2: Lee (Alabama) 73, Long Beach Jordan (California) 60
Game 3: Bingham (Utah) 61, Sheldon (California) 41
Game 4: Durango (Nevada) 56, Fossil Ridge (Colorado) 54
Consolation quarterfinal (Game 9): Righetti (California) vs. Long Beach Jordan (California), 1:50 p.m., Dec. 18
Championship quarterfinal (Game 10): Timpview (Utah) vs. Lee (Alabama), 3:10 p.m., Dec. 18
Consolation quarterfinal (Game 11): Sheldon (California) vs. Fossil Ridge (Colorado), 3:10 p.m., Dec. 18
Championship quarterfinal (Game 12): Bingham (Utah) vs. Durango (Nevada), 4:30 p.m., Dec. 18
Lower bracket (at Faith Lutheran HS)
Game 5: Orem (Utah) 63, La Poly (California) 49
Game 6: Las Vegas (Nevada) 81, North Torrance (California) 54
Game 7: Logan (Utah) 71, Mayfair (California) 54
Game 8: EAGLECREST 76, Desert Pines (Nevada) 63
Consolation quarterfinal (Game 13): La Poly (California) vs. North Torrance (California), 7:10 p.m., Dec. 18
Championship quarterfinal (Game 14): Orem (Utah) vs. Las Vegas (Nevada), 5:50 p.m., Dec. 18
Consolation quarterfinal (Game 15): Mayfair (California) vs. Desert Pines (Nevada), 8:30 p.m., Dec. 18
Championship quarterfinal (Game 16): Logan (Utah) vs. EAGLECREST, 7:10 p.m., Dec. 18
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