Mater East boys basketball coach Antoine Wright subbed out his starters with 53 seconds left in the Class 3A state championship game.
The rambunctious Mater East crowd had plenty to cheer for all Friday afternoon but still had enough left to give the starters a rousing standing ovation.
Mater East celebrated twice on Friday, as its boys and girls basketball teams won the Class 3A state championships at Cox Pavilion.
The day started with the Mater East girls defeating Virgin Valley 47-41 and was followed by the boys’ 49-32 win over Fernley. It’s the first basketball state championship for both programs.
“It feels great after last year, how it ended to be standing on the court to watch the other team win,” Mater East boys coach Antoine Wright said, referring to Mater East’s 53-50 loss to Democracy Prep in last year’s title game in Reno when a potential game-tying shot narrowly missed for the Knights.
Senior forward Lonnie Bass scored 13 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Mater East (22-6), and Deven Taylor added 12 points.
“It’s been a long journey to get back here, but I had a good group of seniors,” Wright said. “My guys fought hard, and we took it one day at a time. This is well worth all the hard work and the stress, so it feels great.”
Fernley (22-7) didn’t go away easily, especially after the Vaqueros dethroned defending champion Democracy Prep in the semifinals Thursday. The Vaqueros closed the first half with a 6-0 run and trailed 21-20 at halftime.
Mater East began to pull away in the third quarter. The Knights used a 16-5 run through the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth to make a one-point lead a 39-27 advantage with more than five minutes to play.
“It’s great and I’m very proud,” Bass said. “It’s my last year, and my brothers, we fought for this moment.”
Girls hang on
The last time a girls basketball team from Southern Nevada won the Class 3A state title was Faith Lutheran in 2016. Mater East changed that Friday.
The Knights (23-7) battled through a long scoring drought and having two starters foul out, but stayed poised late to defeat Virgin Valley (25-8).
“It feels like a dream,” first-year Mater East coach Oscar Davis said. “These girls work hard. This is our first year, it’s my first year here. … It’s crazy because most of our team is sophomores and freshmen, so we’re going to do this again.”
Aa’Ziah Fraizer came up clutch for Mater East in the fourth quarter. She scored eight of her 11 points in the fourth quarter, and her layup with 28 seconds left put the Knights head 43-41.
The sophomore guard then went 4-for-4 at the free-throw line in the final 18 seconds to help seal the win.
“I was nervous, but everyone was locking in,” Fraizer said. “I had to lock in and play my game.”
Mater East led 18-13 early in the fourth quarter. Then the Knights hit a dry spell. Virgin Valley closed the second quarter on a 9-0 run in the final 6:25 of the half to take a 22-18 lead at the break.
The score was tied at 36 heading into the fourth quarter. Then Virgin Valley went cold, going nearly the first five minutes of the fourth quarter without a basket. But Mater East only stretched its lead to 41-36 before Virgin Valley tied it.
Things got shakier for the Mater East when leading scorer Amija Macon (21.8 points per game) and starter Victoria Rubio-White fouled out late. But after the Knights had struggled at the free-throw line early in the fourth, Fraizer was perfect with the pressure on.
“We were neck and neck with (Virgin Valley) this season,” Davis said. “We lost out there in the regional championship, and I told the girls, ‘Let’s take one game at a time. We’re going to see them again.’”
Contact Alex Wright at [email protected]. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
