Gelena High ready for state tournament

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Feb. 26, 1998 | 12:20 p.m.

Year after year, as the Nevada State Boys Basketball Tournament gets under way, the same question hangs in the thin Reno air: Will this be the year the north breaks through?

For the past three decades, the answer has been a resounding 'no.' Since the 1967-68 season, a non-Las Vegas area team has won the large school title just three times, and two of those came courtesy of California-based South Tahoe.

The southern zone's dominance has been nearly complete of late -- Las Vegas teams have won nine of the past 10 championships, a string broken only by a Jerod Haase-led South Tahoe club in 1992. And Reno, the annual host town for the event, hasn't produced a champion since 1964, when the state's largest schools competed in Class 2A.

But this year, the north appears to have a realistic chance to break through in the form of Reno's Galena High. Last year's state runners-up, the Grizzlies steamrolled their way to the Northern Zone title, making them the favorite in the eyes of some of the state's top coaches.

"There's a lot of talk up there about this being their year," said Durango coach Al LaRocque, whose team won the 4A title in 1995 and '96. "And I think they have as good a chance as any Reno school has had in a long time."

In large part, Galena's success this season can be traced back to summer, when the team played in some of the country's most competitive invitational tournaments against many of the nation's top all-star clubs.

"When the school opened six years ago and I got this job, I looked at the big picture," Galena coach Tom Mauer said. "I wanted to get my kids those types of opportunities. And by playing as a team during the summer, we became more of a family-like program."

That closeness paid dividends all season long, with the Grizzlies placing second at the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and fifth at the prestigious Holiday Prep Classic here.

Galena finished the year with a 27-5 record, defeating a handful of regionally ranked teams and losing just once in Nevada.

Now, Mauer and his charges are out to prove they can play with the big boys from the south, starting with their first-round game against Sunrise Division champion Green Valley (17-8) tonight at 7 p.m. at Reno High School.

"We respect the south so much, and we realize that they play a tougher (conference) schedule," Mauer said. "But we'd like to think that if we had a chance to play down in Las Vegas, we'd be successful."

Galena's chances will likely rest on the shoulders of its top three players: 5-8 junior point guard Lance Buoncristiani, 6-2 forward Brian Baka and 6-7 senior center Matt Siebrandt, a UNLV early signee.

Despite all they have going for them, however, LaRocque was cautious when assessing the Grizzlies' chances.

"There's still one thing that they have to do -- they'll probably have to beat three southern teams in a row," LaRocque said. "It's not that it can't be done, but that's a big stumbling block."

As for why the north/south relationship has been so one-sided through the years, there are several theories.

For one, the north tends to be a football-oriented region, offering year-round football for young athletes. The southern athletic scene tends to be centered on basketball, with most youngsters playing the sport 12 months a year.

"It's a community philosophy," said Green Valley's Larry Thomas, who coaches football and basketball. "Look at UNLV and what jumps out at you? Basketball. Then look at Nevada-Reno and what jumps out at you? Football. The emphasis is just different."

According to Reno coach Pete Padgett, the two halves of the state also have distinctly different mentalities about life -- something that can often translate to greater success for the southern squads.

"Style of play has always been a struggle for us," Padgett said. "We're a little more of a conservative community, and everything seems to be a little slower paced up here. We get to the state tournament, and we aren't used to seeing the up-tempo styles of the southern teams."

The relative size of the two areas also is a major factor. When the Grizzlies and Gators tip off tonight, Green Valley will boast an enrollment of more than 3,300 students, compared to under 1,600 for Galena. That 2-1 ratio holds true for most Las Vegas-Reno comparisons.