Former Green Valley coach returns to hand Gators loss

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Dec. 10, 1999 | 9:16 a.m.

Green Valley High boys basketball's founding father returned to his former stamping grounds Thursday night, and for the first time in his life, Gene Carpenter celebrated after a Gators' loss.

Two years after stepping down as the Henderson school's first head coach, Carpenter enjoyed a successful homecoming, as his fifth-ranked Valley Vikings rebounded from a sluggish first half for a 73-62 victory.

"There's a lot of great memories here at Green Valley," said Carpenter, who coached the Gators from 1991-97. "But I love these Valley kids, so I don't miss this place at all."

Coming off a big win over Silverado Wednesday night, the Vikings (2-1) fell behind by nine points in the first half, thanks in large part to a strong start by Gators guard Jared Bedich.

The senior, Green Valley's lone returning starter, scored his team's first seven points and tallied 16 of his game-high 24 points before halftime to give the hosts a 32-29 edge at the break.

But just when it looked the Gators (2-3) might spoil Carpenter's return, his new charges came out like gangbusters to start the third quarter, going on a 15-4 run to take a 44-36 lead.

"Some things as a coach you can see coming, and we could see that coming," said Green Valley coach Jim Allen, whose club played its fifth game in nine days.

"They had a lot more energy and we were flat, and all of a sudden we're down six or seven."

Valley center Matt Stoval, a 6-6 senior, keyed the spurt, scoring a pair of baskets and grabbing four defensive rebounds to jump-start his team's transition game.

Junior Sam Jackson also provided a spark during the run, going coast-to-coast for a layup and sinking a 3-pointer moments later.

Jackson wound up scoring 10 of his 12 points in the decisive second half.

The Gators hung tough for the remainder of the third quarter, but every time it seemed the hosts would trim the margin under five points, Vikings forward Chris Green had an answer.

Doing damage beyond the 3-point arc and inside the paint, the 6-4 senior scorched a feisty Green Valley defense for 21 points. His biggest contribution may have come in the game's final minutes, when he converted 5-of-6 free-throw attempts to help the visitors hold on for the win.

"It was kind of special for coach to get one here," Green said.

"We knew it was a big game coming in."

Although pleased with the result, Carpenter said his club had a lot of room for improvement.

"We play games in short spurts, but we have to put whole games together," Carpenter said. "I've got a lot of talent, but they're still learning how to play. I think by January we'll be a good team."