By Sam Leeper
MaxPreps.com
A huge upset and a title rematch has headlined the first month of prep basketball in the Las Vegas area.
The shocker came Tuesday, when Eldorado stunned top-ranked Canyon Springs, 73-71.
All eyes shifted to Bishop Gorman High School late Friday, as the Gaels hosted Reno in the Bishop Gorman Holiday Classic.
Gorman and Reno met in the state championship final in 2006.
Kylel Coleman had 20 points and seven assists for Gorman in its opening-round win over Mesa, Ariz., 67-54. Blake Moore added 15 points while Quintin Dailey pulled down 10 rebounds for the undefeated Gaels (9-0).
The biggest surprise during the early portion of the season was Tuesday, when Mitrell Clark's basket with eight seconds left gave Eldorado the win over Canyon Springs. Marcus Moreland had 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Sundevils, while Deremy Geiger had 24 points for the Pioneers.
Canyon Springs bounced back from its loss by whipping Western, 87-65 Thursday. Geiger again led the Pioneer scoring punch with 28 points, 12 in the fourth quarter. Juron Criner added 20 points and nine steals for Canyon Springs (9-1).
In other games during the week, Mojave turned back Centennial, 57-47 thanks to an 11-for-12 performance from the free throw line by Darian Norris. Norris led the Rattlers (11-1) with 26 points while Anthony Marshall contributed 16.
At Cimarron-Memorial, Mike Cutright scored 23 of his 25 points in the final period as the Spartans rallied to down Legacy, 76-68. Finally, Cheyenne had six players score in double figures in its' 86-53 home win over Arbor View.
On the girls side, each division has a pair of teams still with undefeated records. In the Southeast Division, Green Valley and Silverado share 3-0 marks. The Northeast Division has Desert Pines and Eldorado at the top also at 3-0. Durango and Bishop Gorman are 2-0 atop the Southwest Division, while Mojave and Centennial have 3-0 records in the Northwest Division.
The team with the most wins in the area is Palo Verde, which recorded its 14th win in 16 games Thursday with a 64-54 win over Shadow Ridge.
Hayley Henderson and Mikala Pride combined for 29 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Panthers. Palo Verde clinched the win by making nine of 13 free throws in the fourth quarter.
Brown Earns Bowl Game Invite
Spring Valley's Corbin Brown has been invited to play in the Second Annual Offense-Defense All-American Bowl in Miami on Jan. 4.
Eighty-eight players from across the country were selected to play in the game. Brown, a senior safety, will play for the West squad.
Former Minnesota Vikings great Cris Carter is expected to coach one of the teams. The game, which will be held at the Orange Bowl, will be televised by Fox College Sports.
