Freshman Hardy scores 37 as Coronado gets past Foothill
Foothill’s boys basketball team went through extended periods where it was ice cold from the perimeter on Thursday night.
Coronado’s Jaden Hardy had no such problem.
The freshman poured in 37 points as the Cougars rolled to an 87-75 victory over the Falcons in the Class 4A Sunrise Region semifinals at Canyon Springs.
“He really emerged as a leader tonight,” Coronado coach Jeff Kaufman said. “He shot the ball really well, and he always shoots the ball really well. But he did a lot of things really getting his team going. For a freshman to become a leader, he kind of developed into that. And the playoffs are the time for that kind of stuff to happen.”
Hardy was 13-for-23 from the field and 7-for-14 on 3-pointers. Most of his 3-pointers came off the dribble, and most from well beyond the 3-point line.
“Those big shots, that’s what gets us going,” Hardy said. “When I get going, my teammates get going.”
Coronado (17-11) led 39-24 at the half, but Foothill opened the third quarter strong, and got as close as 49-40 after a Marvin Coleman bucket with 4:24 to go in the quarter.
But Hardy answered with a long 3-pointer, then went on a personal 9-0 run capped by a four-point play with 2:20 left in the period that pushed the lead to 63-43.
“There’s no shot that he’s scared of, so you’ve got to let him go,” Kaufman said. “You’ve got to let a shooter shoot.”
While Hardy was red hot, Foothill spent much of the game ice cold, especially from long range. The Falcons finished 10-for-41 (24.4 percent) on 3-pointers.
“That’s how Foothill kills you. They shoot 3s,” Kaufman said. “We did a good job tonight of getting our hands up on 3s.”
Tyrelle Hunt added 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Taieem Comeaux had 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Cougars, who play Canyon Springs (23-2) in the title game at 6 p.m. Saturday at Canyon Springs. The winner of that game advances to next week’s state tournament in Reno.
“Hopefully we can get the win on Saturday,” Hardy said. “If we just continue to play hard, we’re going to be in Reno.”
Coleman led Foothill (20-9) with 24 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Dylan Hushaw and Jace Roquemore each added 14 points for the Falcons.”
Contact prep sports editor Damon Seiters at dseiters@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4587. Follow @DamonSeiters on Twitter.