Blazers, Gaels in hunt for title

Spencer Patterson

Monday, Dec. 20, 1999 | 9:44 a.m.

Midway through the first half of Durango's first-round game against Erie (Pa.) Prep at Saturday's Reebok Holiday Prep Classic, tournament co-director Larry McKay received a rather strange call on his cellular phone.

On the other end was Trailblazers coach Al LaRocque, calling from his team's bench to McKay -- who was sitting at the other end of the gym -- to marvel at his club's poor play.

"We had missed four or five layups and the other team had missed some easy shots," LaRocque said. "I said 'I told you we can make a game look ugly, can't we?' "

Durango eventually shook off its funk to open up a 13-point halftime lead, then rolled to a 76-58 victory to move into the quarterfinals of the 64-team event's Millennium Cup premier bracket.

"What happens is the kids are all excited about the Holiday Prep, and they come out too excited," LaRocque said.

LaRocque's team can't afford another slow start in its second-round game tonight at 7:55 at Durango. The Trailblazers' next opponent, North Carolina's Greensboro Day, is coming off an impressive 51-37 win over Westchester (Calif.) and poses a serious threat to Durango's 9-0 record.

"We saw them and to be honest, I feel like we're playing the best team in the bracket," LaRocque said. "We have to shoot the ball well, and we have to play smart against them. The biggest thing for us is that the kids have to understand what a good shot is and what a bad shot is."

In their opener, the Blazers converted 44 percent (28-for-64) of their shots, but made just 4-of-14 3-pointers. Senior guard Jamaal Brimmer led the team with 21 points, but like most of his teammates, took several questionable shots.

LaRocque is also apprehensive about Greensboro's size advantage, which will put the pressure squarely on the shoulders of sophomore Martrel Johnson. The Durango center had 16 points and nine rebounds on Saturday, but at 6-3, Johnson will be looking up at 6-8 Bengals center Konrad Wysocki.

* GAELS ROLL INTO QUARTERS: Like Durango, Bishop Gorman stayed alive in the tournament's Millennium bracket. The state's No. 1-ranked team advanced with a relatively smooth 54-42 victory over Alabama's Ramsay High.

"They were a pretty athletic, physical team," said Gaels coach Jeff Wagonseller, whose club improved to 7-1. "They ran a lot of traps, and we haven't seen much of that this year."

Senior point guard Danny Gomez scored 16 points to lead a balanced attack for the locals, with nine Gaels getting into the scoring column. Center Jason Carter contributed nine rebounds and five blocks, but the 6-9 junior was clearly frustrated at the offensive end, where he managed just six points.

"Jason was real frustrated. They put so much pressure on our guards that he was open at times and they couldn't see him," Wagonseller said.

Up next for Gorman is tonight's 6:30 matchup with Houston's Awty International at Durango. The Rams moved on with a 63-51 win over California's Fairfax High, and Wagonseller said his team's second-round opponent will present a challenge.

"They have a couple of dangerous players," Wagonseller said. "They don't look old, but they do a lot of fundamentally correct things and they have some size."

* LOCAL ROUNDUP: Besides Durango and Gorman, four other area teams stayed in contention for titles in their respective brackets.

In Gold Cup action, Western moved into the quarterfinal round with a hard-fought 61-58 victory over California's St. Bernard on Saturday. Modesto Fowler scored 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the Warriors (4-2), who play California's Jordan High at 6:50 tonight at Green Valley.

Palo Verde (6-4) rolled to a 69-48 win over Kentucky's South Laurel to advance to the quarterfinals of the Silver Cup bracket. The Panthers played Arizona private school St. Mary's today at 10:20 a.m. at Green Valley.

And in Bronze Cup competition, both Chaparral (2-3) and Mojave (2-5) picked up first-round wins to stay alive. The Cowboys earned a 65-52 win over Washington's Bellevue High while the Rattlers downed California's Chatsworth, 63-53. Both clubs played day games today at Durango.

After Day One, teams from Southern Nevada had an overall record of 6-8, with Clark (Millennium), Las Vegas and Valley (Gold), Cimarron-Memorial, Green Valley and Rancho (Silver) and Eldorado and Silverado (Silver) falling on Saturday.

Local squads very nearly came out on the winning side of the overall ledger, with Clark, Las Vegas, Valley and Silverado losing by a combined 10 points.

* RAIN DELAY: After learning that Bellevue's players and coaches were delayed at the Seattle airport for more than five hours due to rain and fog, tournament organizers worked quickly to move back the team's first-round game against Chaparral.

The Wolverines, who did not check into their hotel until 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, were originally slated to play at 10 a.m., but instead played at 9:30 p.m.

* TIDBITS: Marc Ratner, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, refereed Saturday's game between Pleasure Ridge Park (Kent.) and Stratford (Texas) to extend his Holiday Prep Classic officiating streak to 23 years, a string that dates to the event's inaugural season...

Jason Ernst of Arizona's Mountain View captured Sunday's 3-point contest, emerging from a field of 77 participants. Ernst, son of Toros' coach Gary Ernst, defeated Zack Devine of Alaska's Chugiak High, 9-5 in the final round.