District 8 4A boys: Noah Sanders’ hot start lifts Central Valley over Hanford

Noah Sanders hit four 3-pointers in the first quarter as top-seeded Central Valley built a huge lead and handled visiting eighth-seeded Hanford 76-42 in a District 8 4A first-round game on Wednesday.

Sanders finished with 20 points, while 6-foot-10 Gavin Gilstrap added 15 points and 14 boards as CV (19-2) built a 47-15 lead at halftime and prompted a running clock with 3 minutes left in the third.

“Actually in warmups I was like, ‘I can’t shoot right now,’ ” Sanders said. “And then I stepped up in the game and I hit that first one I was like, ‘Yeah it’s gonna be a good one,’ so I kept putting it up some more.”

“We came out and you know we were, we were rolling early,” CV coach Mike Laws said. “Eventually, that second half, I think Hanford was kind of like, ‘OK.’

“You know, it’s real hard (since) we kept on bringing it, then guys we had off the bench keep bringing it too.”

The Bears had 11 players score and the bench played extended minutes in the fourth quarter.

Hudson Shupe led Hanford (5-16) with 17 points.

CV, ranked No. 6 in Class 4A entering play, will host No. 9 Walla Walla in a semifinal on Saturday.

Sanders came out shooting and Jayce Simmons was on the defensive. Simmons had three steals which led to six points, and CV built a 25-10 advantage after one.

“Simmons on the steals, Ryan Clay defending (Stupe) – that was our game plan,” Laws said. “We didn’t want him touching it.”

Gilstrap ended with 11 points and 11 boards in the half. The Bears held Hanford to five points in the frame and led 47-15 at intermission.

Gilstrap had two more baskets early in the third as the lead hit 40 points, and Laws emptied his bench.

Gonzaga Prep 69, Richland 45: Hodges Fleming scored 19 points and the third-seeded Bullpups (16-5) topped the sixth-seeded Bombers (12-9).

G-Prep hosts No. 4 Chiawana in a semifinal on Saturday.

After going down 5-0, the Bullpups went on a 42-9 run.

“We kind of got into a rhythm,” G-Prep coach Matty McIntyre said. “They were doing some things to take away Liam (Lloyd) and he just kept finding the open man.”

Will Reeves scored 12 points while Lloyd and Aiden Von Buchwaldt added 11 points apiece for G-Prep. Jacob Schuster led Richland with 11.

Walla Walla 68, Mead 61 (OT): Michael Cornia scored 22 points and the fourth-seeded Blue Devils (17-4) beat the visiting fifth-seeded Panthers (9-12) in overtime. Mead was led by Brandon Shoff and Sam Wenkheimer, who scored 14 points apiece. The Panthers host Hanford in a loser-out Saturday.

Chiawana 67, Ferris 64: Jayden Martinez scored 22 points and the the second-seeded Riverhawks (20-1) edged the visiting seventh-seeded Saxons (11-10). Ferris was led by McCoy Spink with 20 points. The Saxons travel to face Richland in a loser-out Saturday.