Sutton leads Gorman past Bonanza as Nebraska’s Sanderford looks on

Spencer Patterson

Tuesday, Dec. 15, 1998 | 10:04 a.m.

With her future college coach watching from the stands, Bishop Gorman center Paige Sutton had a little extra pressure on her shoulders Monday night at Bonanza.

Despite getting into foul trouble, the 6-1 senior did a lot to impress Nebraska coach Paul Sanderford, dominating the boards with 15 rebounds, playing tough defense on the Bengals' low-post players and opening up outside shots for her teammates by drawing constant double- and triple-teams.

Most importantly, Sutton helped her club remain undefeated, as the Gaels picked up a 66-53 over Bonanza to run their record to 8-0 (2-0 Sunset Division).

"Page works so hard," said Sanderford, who signed Sutton last month. "She's a coach's type player, and she wants to play at the top level."

Sanderford, whose team is ranked 19th in the latest AP Division I women's basketball poll, first started recruiting Sutton after seeing her play two summers ago as a member of a California-based AAU club.

"We're trying to build a national program, and I think she'll be a big-time player," Sanderford said.

On Monday Sutton was just that, although her night was limited by three first-half fouls and another midway through the third quarter. That kept her offensive production to a minimum, although she still managed to wind up with 12 points and four assists.

"She was probably a little nervous, probably more than she should have been," Gorman coach Sheryl Krmpotich said. "You want to impress the person you signed with."

After Gorman built a 13-point lead early in the third quarter, the Bengals (4-4, 2-1) took advantage of Sutton's absence to make things interesting.

With forwards Shastian Gago (20 points) and Ronda Williams (24 points) leading the way, Bonanza got as close as eight points with five minutes to play in the contest.

But Gorman's Vai Correra came off the bench to hit three critical jump shots to seal the win, preserving her team's perfect mark thus far.

"My teammates played awesome. They made all their shots," Sutton said. "We're still coming together, but it's going to be scary when we jell. I feel bad for the teams that will have to face us then."