Dayton boys advance to finals

SPARKS - At 27 years old, Dayton Dust Devils boys basketball coach T.W. Cunningham isn't even a decade older than some of his players, so it should come as no surprise when he shows some youthful exuberance.

Such was the case Friday at Spanish Springs High School, when Cunningham was seen chest-bumping with a Dayton junior varsity football player.

And for good reason: Cunningham's Dust Devils just blew away rival Spring Creek, 54-40, in the semifinals of the NIAA Class 3A State Championships.

After taking a narrow 28-24 lead into halftime, Dayton's defense - along with a host of missed shots, turnovers and fouls by Spring Creek - upended the Spartans' bid to advance to today's championship final against Faith Lutheran, a 67-53 winner over Yerington.

The game with Spring Creek marked the fifth time the teams had met this season, with Dayton holding a 4-1 edge, including a 46-39 victory for the Northern 3A Region championship.

"We didn't want to see them again," Cunningham said of the Spartans. "They play so physical, tough - they really get after you. It was a tough matchup. We did a great job."

Jordan Stokes, a 6-foot-3 senior forward, led all scorers with 14 points for Dayton. Senior guard Shane Castro added nine points for the Dust Devils (now 23-6 on the season) and Kenny Goss, Josh Aaker, Josh Wagoner and Erik Hopper each chipped in six.

Colby Satterthwaite led all Spartan scorers with 12 points. Tom Kerr added eight for Spring Creek, which ended its season 16-13.

The two teams traded the lead three times in the first quarter, which ended in a 12-12 tie. After trading the lead with Spring Creek a couple more times, Dayton caught the Spartans with a 7-0 run, including an Aaker layup, a Stokes layup, then a Stokes 3-pointer to go up 26-19, with 2 minutes, 15 s econds remaining in the half.

Stokes had nine of his points in the second quarter, including the 3-pointer.

"He's such a great player and athlete," Cunningham said of Stokes. "Everything we do, we try to get him a look and he can feed other guys off of it."

After taking a 28-24 lead into the locker room, the Dust Devils fed on the Spartans' miscues and clamped down defensively, outscoring Spring Creek 15-2 in the third quarter after the Spartans tied it, 28-28, on a Kerr layup with 5:50 remaining in the period.

Dayton held Spring Creek scoreless for 5 minutes, 41 seconds, until Tony Gill's bucket cut the lead to 46-32. Kerr's next basket would make it 50-38, but Dayton was too far ahead for Spring Creek to catch up.

"I think in the second half it was just a matter of us settling down and realizing where you need to be and what you need to do," Cunningham said. "You don't want to let the adrenaline get to you, make things hectic. The guys were more in their spots.

"The crowd did a great job. They were loud. There was a ton of people who showed up. It was great to see."

Cunningham - in his first year at Dayton - said his team would need its best defensive effort if it is to have a chance today at defeating defending state champion Faith Lutheran, which defeated the Dust Devils, 63-48, in last year's championship final.

"It's a completely different ballgame now," Cunningham said. "I wasn't here for that game. But (Faith Lutheran) has decent size and good shooters."

The Dust Devils, now 23-6, and the Crusaders will meet at 1:40 p.m. at Lawlor Events Center.

FAITH LUTHERAN 67, YERINGTON 53

The Lions never looked ready to quit. Not when they were down 19-4, with 1 minute, 44 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Not when they trailed 31-14 with 1:21 to go in the first half. And least of all when a Jeremy Means 3-pointer made it 60-51, with 1:16 to go in the game.

But even the heart of a lion wasn't enough to hold back the defending state champion Crusaders, who sealed up the game on a pair of Stephen McCall free throws with 56 seconds to go at Spanish Springs High School.

Connor Maloney, a 6-foot-4 sophomore forward, led Faith Lutheran (now 26-3 on the season) with 21 points. He was helped out by 6-3 senior guard Tyler Norman, who scored 20, and 6-5 center Chad Breeden, who popped in 18 more.

Means had a team-high 20 points, while senior guard Ryan Rife added 13 for Yerington, which finished its season at 18-12.

Yerington trailed by as many as 20 points, when a pair of free throws by Maloney gave the Crusaders a 43-23 lead with 2:47 to go in the third quarter, but they never stopped trying.

Means' trey capped a 12-6 run for the Lions to give them a shot at victory, but in the end it was too little, too late.