Poole carries Legacy to win

The Legacy junior had her third straight 20-plus rebound effort Thursday night in the Longhorns’ quarterfinal win over Moapa Valley.

A 6-foot-1-inch forward, Poole had 18 points, 20 rebounds and eight blocked shots to lead the Longhorns to a 69-34 victory.

“When she’s having fun and going after rebounds, our whole team plays well,” Legacy coach Tiffany Richardson said.

Legacy will face Durango for the second time in the tournament in one of today’s semifinals. Sierra Vista and Needles (Calif.) will meet in the other semifinal. Both games are at noon. The winners return at 3 p.m. to compete for the championship.

Poole had 25 rebounds Wednesday against Boulder City and 20 more Thursday morning against Needles.

Her tall, slender frame and long arms created all sorts of havoc for Moapa, which led 15-10 after one quarter, but made only four of its next 44 shots.

Poole played just less than 23 of the 32 minutes of the game, but constantly altered shots and made the Pirates think twice about entering the paint.

“She’s being a little more aggressive,” Richardson said. “She picks her spots and doesn’t try to go after every shot. She’s still learning and still getting better.”

Poole, who also had 10 rebounds in the Longhorns’ 77-39 loss to Durango on Wednesday morning, had 55 points and 75 rebounds in the tournament’s first two days.

Breana Watkins added 15 points for the Longhorns, who held Moapa to 12-for-73 shooting from the field in the game.

“Our reserves came in and really picked up the defense and it trickled down to everybody,” Richardson said.

In other quarterfinal games:

• Durango 75, Arbor View 20 — Lindy La Rocque scored 24 points in the first quarter as the Trailblazers rolled into the semifinals.

La Rocque hit six first-quarter 3-pointers, and finished with a game-high 33 points for Durango, which led 36-2 after one quarter.

Arbor View turned the ball over 35 times, including 14 in the first quarter.

• Sierra Vista 58, Boulder City 18 — The Lions outscored the Eagles 19-2 in the second quarter on the way to the easy win.

Jeannette Jackson had 13 points for Sierra Vista. Boulder City was 7-for-42 from the field and turned the ball over 32 times.

• Needles (Calif.) 48, Las Vegas 41 — Mary Marquez’s 21 points did in the Wildcats, who were 19-for-71 from the field.

Amber Kelly led Las Vegas with 15 points, and Jervaie Taylor added 10 points.

In pool play:

• Durango 86, Boulder City 33 — La Rocque scored 15 of her 30 points in the third quarter as the Trailblazers cruised. Mia Bell added 16 points.

Jessi Forrester led the Eagles with 14 points.

• Sierra Vista 43, Las Vegas 28 — Jackson scored all of her 18 points in the first three quarters for the Lions, who led 35-9 at halftime.

• Needles (Calif.) 66, Legacy 56 — Kayla Murray’s 16 points and 11 rebounds weren’t enough for the Longhorns. Poole had 20 rebounds for Legacy.

• Moapa Valley 46, Arbor View 29 — Blythe Thompson scored 12 points for Moapa, which outscored the Aggies 31-13 in the second half.