Brown scores 25 as No. 3 Bulldogs post Big City triumph

Troy Brown had 25 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and three steals Saturday to lead Centennial’s boys basketball team to a 59-51 win over Coronado in the Big City Showdown at South Point Arena.

The 6-foot-7-inch Brown, a McDonald’s All American, had seven points in the fourth quarter as the thirdranked Bulldogs (16-4) held off the No. 5 Cougars.

Coronado (9-9) got within 44-42 on a basket by Kennedy Koehler to start the fourth quarter. But Koehler couldn’t complete the threepoint play, and the Cougars struggled from the line in the fourth quarter.

Coronado was 2-for-9 from the line in the fourth quarter, and Koehler missed all five of his attempts.

Koehler led the Cougars with 26 points but was 4-for-11 from the line. Will Weems, a 6-8 center, added eight points and 10 rebounds for Coronado but was 2-for13 from the field. Weems struggled against Centennial’s 6-10 Darian Scott, who had two blocked shots.

Clark 58, Desert Pines 56 — Jalen Hill scored 19 points, and the second-ranked Chargers held off the Jaguars in a rematch of last season’s Division I-A (now Class 3A) state title game.

Clark (17-3) led 41-28 entering the fourth quarter, but Capri Uzan scored 13 of his 22 points in the final eight minutes to lead the comeback for No. 8 Desert Pines (10-9).

Uzan’s 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:56 to go cut the Chargers’ lead to 50-44, but Hill answered with a three-point play to push the lead back to nine.

Clark turned the ball over 10 times in the second half, including five in the fourth quarter. The Jaguars took advantage and cut the lead to 57-53 on two free throws by Uzan with 4.6 seconds.

Clark’s Trey Woodbury then made 1 of 2 free throws with 3.6 seconds, and Uzan hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the final margin.

Durango 65, Liberty 53 — Vernell Watts had 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Trailblazers past the Patriots.

Demetrius Valdez scored 15, and Jeremie Portuondo had 12 points and 11 rebounds for No. 10 Durango (8-7).

Freshman Julian Strawther led Liberty (8-11) with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

GIRLS

Liberty 58, Bishop Gorman 47 — Dre’una Edwards had 20 points, 15 rebounds and six assists to lead the second-ranked Patriots (211) over the fourth-ranked Gaels.

Quinece Hatcher and Caira Young each scored 12 for Gorman (17-4).