If the Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) boys basketball team is going to win its second straight Nevada 4A state title, the Gaels are going to have to do it the hard way.
File photo by Louis Lopez
John Loyd, Bishop Gorman
Gorman won three games in four days to capture the Sunset Region title after the start of the playoffs were delayed for three days while the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association and Western (Las Vegas) sorted through their legal issues.
On Wednesday, the Gaels boarded a bus and headed north to Reno, where they will prepare to take on Bishop Manogue (Reno) in the state tournament on Thursday at the Lawlor Events Center. Should Gorman win that game, the state title game is scheduled for Friday. That's five games in less than a week if you're scoring at home.
"The kids are ready to play," Gaels coach Grant Rice said following Tuesday's 79-62 victory over host Palo Verde (Las Vegas) in the region title game. "They'd much rather play than practice. It will be like they're used to in AAU. They'll be fine."
Western appealed to the NIAA after being forced to forfeit four games for using an ineligible player. That original appeal was denied and a temporary restraining order was filed on behalf of a Western player last week. A district court judge dissolved the temporary restraining order, however, Western then filed a second-level appeal.
An independent hearing officer heard the case, which delayed the start of the Sunset Region playoffs for three days. Western eventually won its appeal to have two of its forfeits overturned and qualified for the playoffs as a result, although the Warriors fell in the first round to high-scoring Kevin Olekaibe and Cimarron-Memorial (Las Vegas).
The tight schedule didn't seem to bother the Gaels (28-2), who rolled over Arbor View (Las Vegas) 90-51 and Desert Oasis (Las Vegas) 74-54 before knocking off Palo Verde.
"We're excited to be there," Rice said. "We know the north and (Sunrise Region champion) Canyon Springs got to rest, but that's the way it goes. It's out of our control. We're just going to go up and play hard and do what we've done all year."
Manogue won the Northern Region crown with an impressive 53-24 win over McQueen (Reno). Senior guard Bobby Hunter led the Miners (25-4) with 19 points, including a highlight-reel dunk at the end of the first quarter.
But it was Manogue's denial defense that stole the show as McQueen was held scoreless in the fourth quarter. Manogue, which has won 19 in a row and is undefeated against in-state competition, likes to play an up-tempo pace. That might be difficult against Gorman, though, as the Gaels can get up and down with the best of them.
The other semifinal features Canyon Springs (North Las Vegas) and McQueen (Reno). The Pioneers (25-3) are riding a 15-game winning streak and were extremely impressive in winning the Sunrise Region crown, routing Foothill (Henderson) 76-60 in the title game.
Junior guard Michael Thompson had 26 points and 11 rebounds against Foothill, but Canyon Springs is balanced offensively with the likes of Jeremy Alexander, Jared Brandon, Donald Anderson, Adrian Snow and Curtis Stuckey capable of scoring at any time.
Canyon Springs could be a tough matchup for Gorman in the state title game as the Pioneers appear to have the length and quickness to bother Gorman's outstanding backcourt that features seniors Jonathan Loyd and Anson Winder along with sophomore Shabazz Muhammad.
GIRLS
The state title game is officially scheduled for Friday, but many fans believe the championship will take place Thursday when Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) meets Reno in the semifinals.
Reno (24-4) is No. 1 in the MaxPreps state rankings and is fresh off its third consecutive Northern Region title. The Huskies used a 14-2 run in the third quarter to take control and beat Reed (Sparks) 55-33. No. 2 Gorman (25-5), meanwhile, knocked off defending state champion Centennial (Las Vegas) 75-64 to win the Sunset Region crown and is searching for its fourth state title in the last five years.
The game is shaping up as a battle between two of the top guards in the state: Reno senior Stephanie Rovetti and Gorman senior Aaryn Ellenberg, who has signed with Oklahoma. Reno lost 65-48 to Gorman in the 2008 title game and the Huskies dropped a 70-60 decision to Centennial in the state semifinals last season.
Not to be overlooked, however, is Sunrise Region champion Liberty (Henderson), which is making its first appearance at the state tournament. The Patriots (25-4) are No. 4 in the MaxPreps state rankings and feature a balanced lineup led by junior Amanda Delgado, who had 28 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the 83-65 regional title game win over Green Valley (Henderson).
The challenge for Liberty and first-year coach Quintin Lester will be to slow down Reed's talented senior Danielle Peacon. It will be one of the few times this season that the Patriots have seen a true center and the 6-foot-3 Pacific signee is one of the state's best. She scored 26 points in a regional semifinal win over Galena (Reno) and had 18 points in the loss to Reno.
LAS VEGAS ROLLS TO TITLE
Las Vegas had three state champions and easily won the team title at the 4A state wrestling meet on Saturday.
The Wildcats racked up 135 points to outdistance Churchill County (66.5) and Green Valley (56). Brothers Napoleon and Alex Aniciete each captured individual titles for the Wildcats, while Trey McElhaney finished first at 215 pounds.
The victory at 140 pounds was the second state crown for Napoleon Aniciete, who won a state title as a freshman at Bishop Gorman, but was forced to sit out his sophomore season after transferring. Alex Aniciete, a freshman, won the 130-pound title. Bishop Gorman's Steven Hernandez put his name in the record books as he won his fourth state title, beating Green Valley’s Daniel Allen 13-8 in the final at 152 pounds.
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.