Zone semifinals preview: Stakes are high at Valley

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Feb. 20, 1998 | 1:30 a.m.

All eight teams in tonight's Southern 4A Zone basketball semifinals have already earned trips to next week's state tournament. But a lot still will be at stake when the quartet of games tip off starting at 3 p.m. at Valley High School.

Chiefly, the clubs will be jockeying for position for state seeds, which could ultimately be the difference between a relatively easy draw and one barred with early obstacles.

On the boys side, a fourth-place zone finish will likely mean a first-round state matchup with Reno's Galena High, considered by many to be the top team in Nevada this year. The Grizzlies finished eighth at the prestigious Las Vegas Holiday Prep Classic and boast a 25-5 record.

"Winning in the semifinals is very important because you'll avoid running into the top teams from the north right away," said Las Vegas coach Tom Farnsworth, whose club will take on Green Valley tonight. "Galena's got to be the team to beat, certainly from the north, and I'd say they're the favorite overall."

For the four area girls teams in action tonight, anything but a first or second seed out of zone will likely mean a death sentence -- a first-round date with either Reno's McQueen High or Elko High, probably the two best teams in the state.

Considering the north's recent dominance in the state girls tournament, it's possible that even the southern zone champion will face a serious test against the north's fourth-place finisher.

"We know that the number one seed is a big benefit," said Bishop Gorman coach Tom Robinson, whose squad is the defending zone champion and the only remaining area team which has been to the state tournament before. "You don't want to go up there and have to meet McQueen or Elko in the first game."

Also on the line for tonight's participants: cross-town bragging rights. Even though the zone tournament exists primarily as a tool for determining state seeds, local teams would love to be able to say they are the best in Las Vegas for the next year.

"The kids all know each other, and they all grew up playing with each other in leagues around town," Farnsworth said. "So there's lot of personal pride at stake in the zone tournament. Coaches may look at it from a seeding standpoint, but players look at it from a pride standpoint."

The following is a look at tonight's four zone semifinal games, starting with the two boys' contests.

* CHEYENNE vs. VALLEY: The teams haven't played since last season, when the Vikings downed the Desert Shields twice, including a zone tournament meeting. Valley appears to be peaking at the right time, defeating Green Valley and Rancho to close out the regular season and thrashing Western to open the playoffs. The Vikings have three legitimate go-to players in guards Dion Jackson and Jason Juniel and forward Alex Hernandez, and the squad will have a definite home court advantage from here on. Cheyenne, which emerged as the champion of an extremely balanced Sunset Division, features an athletic lineup, highlighted by guards Corey White and Dametrius Hunter.

* GREEN VALLEY vs. LAS VEGAS: The rubber match between two squads which split their regular season meetings, with each winning on the other's home court. The game will feature a matchup of two of the area's top backcourt tandems, with the Gators' Jamar Glasper and Cornell Williams taking on the Wildcats' Mario Finley and Ronnie Jones. Green Valley should have some success when their guards post up, but Finley and Jones will be the two best shooters on the court. The outcome could ultimately be determined by which team's inside players step up most.

* CHEYENNE vs. BISHOP GORMAN: This game should feature a battle of contrasting styles between a pair of teams that split during the regular season. The Wildcats, who captured the Sunset title, will try to slow the tempo and pound the ball in to center Yolonda Banks, arguably the best player in the area. The Gaels, meanwhile, will push the ball as often as possible, with athletic post players Amy Roban and Page Sutton not only starting the break on one end, but also joining it to finish at the other.

* SILVERADO vs. DURANGO: The Skyhawks opened the season with a 19-point non-conference victory over the Trailblazers, but both teams have come a long way since. Sunrise champion Silverado has come on strong of late, and Durango is the definition of hot, winning its past 10 games. The contest will showcase a quartet of superb low-post players -- Jayme Connors and Amber Fife for the Skyhawks and Blair Wilkes and Angela Perrult for the Trailblazers. Silverado's success in stopping Durango point guard Danielle Boyack from getting into the lane may determine the victor.