Earlier this season, the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association sent a letter to the state's basketball coaches stating any team that wins by 50 or more points must submit an "explanation of safeguards that were implemented in that game which should have prevented the point differential."
Suffice to say, none of the teams participating in this week's Class 4A state tournament should have to worry about sending any more letters.
The top four girls teams in the latest MaxPreps state rankings made it to Las Vegas, while all four qualifiers for the boys tourney are ranked among the top six.
The tournament tips off at 3 p.m. Thursday at the Orleans Arena.
BOYS
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) vs. Bishop Manogue (Reno)
This is the second straight year these teams have met in the state semifinals with the Gaels beating Manogue 65-52 last year on the way to their second straight title.
MaxPreps Nevada boys basketball playoff bracketsGorman (25-5) is the heavy favorite and ranked No. 24 in the most recent
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 boys basketball rankings presented by the Army National Guard. Junior guard
Shabazz Muhammad poured in 25 of his 29 points in the first half and standout junior
Rosco Allen added 18 points and eight rebounds as the Gaels beat Sierra Vista (Las Vegas) 84-66 for the Sunset Region championship. Those two, along with forward
Ben Carter, will be a difficult matchup for the undersized Miners (24-5).
Manogue, meanwhile, enters the game with a shooter's chance. The Miners hit nine 3-pointers - they made just three 2-point field goals - in their 56-43 win over Douglas (Minden) to earn their second consecutive Northern Region title. If guards
Brennan Hogan,
Ethan Dillard and
Niles Lujan get hot from the outside, Manogue will certainly have a shot at pulling off the upset.
Canyon Springs (North Las Vegas) vs. Sierra Vista (Las Vegas)
The Pioneers (27-2) are making their second straight trip to the state tournament, but almost didn't get there. Canyon Springs struggled in the Sunrise Region semifinals against Foothill (Henderson), escaping with a 69-68 win on a putback at the buzzer by
Trey Evans.
But Canyon Springs, which is No. 3 in the state rankings, bounced back in the region final by topping Eldorado (Las Vegas) 78-66. Boise State-bound guard
Michael Thompson took over late, scoring nine of his game-high 22 points in the final 5:10, including a huge coast-to-coast dunk that gave the Pioneers a 10-point lead. Canyon Springs, which fell to Gorman in the state title game a year ago, could have an advantage down low against Sierra Vista (25-6) with 6-foot-5
Jared Brandon and 6-4
Chris Willis.
The Mountain Lions earned a trip to state thanks to a thrilling 55-54 win over Eldorado on Tuesday in the state play-in game.
Dallin Molina blocked a shot in the final seconds to preserve the win for Sierra Vista. The 6-5 Molina, who missed last season with a torn ACL, finished with a game-high 16 points to go along with seven rebounds and two blocked shots. However, this game should hinge on whether Sierra Vista's standout guards
Maiscei Grier and
Viko Noma'aea can have success against the Pioneers' athletic backcourt led by Thompson.
Predicted champion: Bishop Gorman
Continue reading for girls previews