The Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) boys basketball team showed off its impressive depth. The Gaels' girls' team relied on a record-setting individual performer.
But the results were the same for each side as Gorman swept the 4A state titles last week at the University of Nevada's Lawlor Events Center in Reno.
File photo by Louis Lopez
Shabazz Muhammed, Bishop Gorman
Gorman's boys team topped Canyon Springs (North Las Vegas) 69-48 in the championship game behind 19 points from reserve guard Taylor Spencer, who has signed to play football at UNLV.
It was the second straight state championship and the fourth in nine seasons for Gorman coach Grant Rice, whose team is ranked No. 13 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25.
In the state semifinals, the Gaels used a big lineup to overcome an early deficit and beat Bishop Manogue (Reno) 65-52. Seldom-used Ronnie Stanley, a 6-foot-7, 275-pound sophomore who was the starting left tackle for the Gaels' football team that won a state title in December, had 14 points, six rebounds, four blocked shots and two assists for the Gaels (30-2).
BYU-signee Anson Winder had a team-high 15 points and senior John Loyd added 13 as the Gaels had four players in double figures. Spencer also did the job defensively on Miners senior guard Bobby Hunter, who had nine of his 18 points in the first quarter, but was 3-of-12 from the field the rest of the way.
Gorman's girls, meanwhile, rode the outstanding play of senior guard Aaryn Ellenberg to its fourth state title in the last five years.
The McDonald's All-America, who signed with Oklahoma, scored 21 points to go along with six assists and three steals as the Gaels routed Reed (Sparks) 82-59 in the title game. In the state semifinals against Reno, which entered the game No. 1 in the MaxPreps state rankings, Ellenberg dropped in 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting to lead Gorman to a 61-40 victory.
Ellenberg's 10 3-pointers in the two state tournament games also set a large-school record.
Gorman's double-dip is the top story in the state this week. The four others are:
2. More boys state champions: Sparks captured its first state title in 70 years, beating Lowry (Winnemucca) 53-50 in overtime for the 3A crown. In 2A, Incline (Incline Village, Nev.) got 19 points from Josh Dykstra and 18 from Micha Corneil to beat Lincoln County (Panaca 71-64 and capture its first state championship since 1990. Lincoln County junior Dantley Walker set a tournament record with 84 points in two games, including 41 in the final. Also, Pahranagat Valley (Alamo) got 26 points from junior Cody Hosier and upset two-time defending 1A state champion Lake Mead Academy (Henderson) 63-53. The Panthers had lost to Lake Mead by 20 points during the regular season and 19 in the 1A Southern League final.
3. More girls state champions: Julia Dufurrena and Skylar Estes scored in the final minute of overtime as Lowry knocked off Spring Creek 35-34 to win the 3A title. Spring Creek was looking for its fourth state crown in the last five years. Battle Mountain got 26 points from Jordan Waugh and erased a 10-point halftime deficit to earn its fourth 2A state title in the last seven years with a 52-49 victory over Pershing County (Lovelock). Gigi Glogovac scored 18 points as Virginia City captured its first state title with a 49-28 win over McDermitt. Jill Dupre added 14 points and Taylor Parsons had 11 for the Muckers.
4. Girls soccer title decided this week: The Southern Nevada 4A girls soccer championship will be settled this week at Bettye Wilson Park in Las Vegas. Southern Nevada conducts 4A girls soccer in the winter, while the remainder of the state plays in the fall. The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association attemped to move girls soccer from the winter to fall in 2008, but a Title IX lawsuit was filed against the NIAA and Clark County School District before a settlement was reached. Palo Verde (Las Vegas) and Arbor View (Las Vegas) will square off for the Sunset Region championship on Tuesday. The teams split their two regular-season matchups with Palo Verde (16-1-2) winning 4-3 before the Aggies (16-1-1) turned the tables with a 4-1 win. In the Sunrise Region, Silverado (Las Vegas) takes on Southeast League rival Coronado (Henderson for the title. Silverado (15-2-1) beat the Cougars 2-0 on Feb. 9 after the teams tied 0-0 in the first meeting. Coronado (14-2-3) is fresh off a 1-0 win over top-seeded Green Valley (Henderson). The region champions meet Thursday for the Southern Nevada crown.
5. Gorman baseball is Xcellent: Bishop Gorman, the four-time defending 4A state baseball champion, is ranked No. 4 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National preseason rankings. The Gaels lost standout Jeff Malm, who signed with the Tampa Bay Rays, along with a handful of other talented seniors. But coach Chris Sheff welcomes back standout senior infielder Johnny Field, who signed with Arizona, along with senior Neil Lawhorn (Western Nevada College), junior catcher Erik Van Meetren (.496, 12 home runs, 64 RBI) and sophomore infielder Joey Gallo.
David Schoen works at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and is a former Associate Sports Editor and Turn2 columnist for the Oakland (Calif.) Tribune. You can reach him at ByDavid1@aol.com.