South cleans house

Tim Graham

Thursday, Feb. 29, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

RENO -- Sweep 'em up.

The Northern Zone is dust.

Teams from the Southern Zone dropped their Northern counterparts one by one in the first round of Wednesday's NIAA/U.S. Bank boys' state basketball tournament at Reno-Nevada's Lawlor Events Center.

In a close contest to complete the sweep, Valley beat South Tahoe 53-47. Earlier, Bishop Gorman topped Sparks 55-35, Las Vegas defeated McQueen 75-63 and defending state champion Durango destroyed Carson 77-45.

In today's semifinals, Valley plays Bishop Gorman at 4:55 p.m. and Las Vegas faces Durango at 6:30 p.m.

With all four Southern wins, the zone is guaranteed its 30th state title in 33 years.

"I was worried that the other three teams qualified ahead of us," Valley coach Paul Aznarez said. "I didn't want our guys to be the sacrificial lamb out there."

Junior guard Larontae Johnson made sure of that, scoring 14 points in the final quarter to guide Valley to victory. All told, he had a game-high 26 points in a game that went down to the wire.

"I gotta say, Larontae was the difference in the game," Aznarez said. "They couldn't keep up with him. He's awfully quick when he gets in high gear. They had a hard time stopping him tonight."

The Vikings also received support from guard Jevon Banks, who added 12, and 6-foot-8 center J. Johnson with 11 more.

Las Vegas had to sweat out its victory in a game that included 10 tie scores and 10 lead changes. At one point in the second quarter, the Wildcats trailed 32-24.

From there, however, Las Vegas went on a 10-0 surge to stay close with McQueen, but went into halftime behind 35-34.

The teams traded baskets for much of the second half, and with the score tied at 52 early in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats ran away, outscoring the Lancers 23-11.

"Our athleticism finally kicked in," Las Vegas coach Tom Farnsworth said.

Lucas LeCour, in foul trouble much of the game, was hot from the perimeter, hitting three 3-pointers and scoring a game-high 22. Fareed Rashada (10 points) and Greg Rogers nailed the boards with nine rebounds apiece.

Gorman breezed to its victory, guided by Jim Roban. The senior forward showed he is suffering no limitations from a sprained ankle sustained in the zone tournament by recording 20 points and 15 rebounds, both game highs.

The 6-foot-5 Roban played especially well in the end and the beginning, grabbing seven rebounds in the first quarter and scoring nine points in the last.

"They were the best we played this year," Sparks coach Dick Lee said. "It was like a college team playing a high school team."

The Gaels trailed 9-4 well into the first quarter, bringing back memories of last year's upset loss to Carson in the first round.

"I was worried," Gorman coach Jeff Wagonseller said. "Everybody kept telling us that they were better than a No. 3 seed, that maybe they were a No. 1 seed."

But an 11-2 stretch to close the quarter sent the Gaels on their way. They continued to roll in the second quarter, starting on a 10-0 run that pushed their lead to 25-11. The Gaels were up at halftime 27-15.

Mo Terry, who sprained his ankle in the same game as Roban, also played, but was not nearly 100 percent. The sophomore guard did not score but collected two boards.

Defending champ Durango built a 20-point lead early in the second quarter before hitting cruise control.

Four Trailblazers reached double figures in the scoring department. Kevon Jones paced all scorers with 16, followed by Miha C'mer's 13 off the bench.

In Class A competition, Faith Lutheran lost to Owyhee 53-37. Tony Marr was the only Faith Lutheran player in double figures with 11 points.