Gaines, Clark bounce back to win Round 3

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Feb. 4, 1999 | 11:37 a.m.

It wasn't the "Thrilla in Manila," but Gaines vs. Hunter III certainly had its share of drama Wednesday night.

For the third time this season, the state's top two seniors matched up in a critical Sunset Division contest.

And nearly one month to the day that Demetrius Hunter's Cheyenne squad took Round 2, Kevin Gaines led host Clark to a victory in the rubber game, 66-59.

"We're tough here," said Chargers coach Brad Query, whose squad pulled into a first-place tie with the Desert Shields and Bishop Gorman in the Sunset. "We like our chances right now."

The last time the two teams met, Gaines watched the final minutes from the bench after picking up his fifth foul. This time, he picked up his fourth foul early in the fourth quarter, but managed to stay in the game thanks to a controversial call.

With Clark (17-7, 9-3 Sunset) up 57-55 and 3:10 to play, Gaines appeared to pick up his final foul on a post up move by Hunter. But the call went against Hunter, allowing Gaines to remain on the floor.

"I thought it was a great call," Query said, breaking out into a big smile. "It could have gone either way. Sometimes at home, you get those things."

Gaines took full advantage of the situation, making a pair of free throws with 30 seconds remaining to give his club a 61-59 advantage.

Hunter was unable to match his rival on the other end, missing two foul shots with 11 seconds left, and Gaines made three more free throws to seal the win.

"This division is so tough night in, night out," Query said. "It gets you battle ready."

Although they ultimately decided the outcome, neither of the game's stars had a particularly good night from the floor, at least not by their standards.

Gaines finished with 21 points on 6-for-17 shooting and was particularly cold from 3-point range, missing all seven of his attempts. He did make his presence felt on the glass, however, pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds.

Hunter wound up with 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting for the Desert Shields (19-5, 9-3) but rarely got into the open floor. Teammate Larry Graves kept the visitors in the game most of the night, tallying 13 points, including a game-tying shot with just over a minute to play.

Center Elijah Taylor had a strong game for the Chargers, scoring 17 points.