Prep Classic notebook: Western making a little noise of its own in tourney

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Dec. 21, 2000 | 3:12 a.m.

Maybe it's a little early to hand Bishop Gorman this year's Nevada 4A state basketball title after all.

On Wednesday, the Western Warriors served notice that there's another sheriff in town, defeating nationally ranked Arlington Country Day School (Florida) 75-65 in overtime to advance to tonight's Holiday Prep Classic Gold Cup championship.

The Apaches (10-1), ranked No. 22 in USA Today, played in the Gold Cup bracket only because a Florida High School Athletic Federation rule prevented them from participating in the 68-team tournament's elite Millennium Cup draw.

"It's good for our basketball program for the simple fact that (our players) read about these teams in national publications all the time," Western coach Tony Hopkins said. "To beat them is a testament to how hard these kids work."

The Warriors (8-1) actually trailed 60-57 with time winding down in regulation, but forced the extra session on Wendell West's 3-pointer at the buzzer. After receiving the ball from Patrick Stinnett with two seconds on the clock, West squared up and shot over two defenders, calmly draining the long-distance shot as time ran out.

"I love being in that situation," said West, who finished with 23 points to lead all scorers. "I was in that situation last year, and I didn't come through, so I figured I had to come through for the team this year."

Despite losing starters Brandon Weaver and Matt Robinson when both picked up their fifth foul in the second half, the Warriors dominated the four-minute overtime, taking the lead for good when West buried another 3-pointer, this time from the corner.

Western, which finished fourth in the Gold Cup at last year's tournament, got 18 points and 10 rebounds from Tim Day. The Warriors play 14-3 Abramson (La.) today at 5:30 p.m. at Green Valley.

"When we came into the tournament, because we had several guys returning from last year's team, we talked about winning the gold division," Hopkins said. "Because of this (Arlington) team, not a lot was said about Western basketball."

The Gold Cup championship nearly turned into an all-Southern Nevada affair, with Green Valley coming up one win short of forcing a matchup with the Warriors tonight. The Gators fell, 57-49, to Abramson in Wednesday night's final contest.

"The effort and the way we played yesterday was really good basketball against a really good 12-0 team," said Green Valley coach Jim Allen, referring to his team's 73-62 victory over Crescenta Valley (Calif.) Tuesday night. "Tonight, we had that crash you sometimes have after a big win, and that happens, especially with young kids"

Mitch Platt chipped in 14 points and eight rebounds for the Gators (5-5) in the losing effort, while Broderick Haywood led the Commodores with 17 points and 10 boards.

Matt Preston poured in 28 points to lead the assault for the Gaels (5-0), who have scored 101, 86 and 87 points in their three tournament games. Maurice Thomas tallied 19 points and Derek Brown added 17 for Desert Pines (6-3).

Also on Tuesday, Bonanza (7-3) avenged one of its two losses in town this season, downing Valley 73-65 in Gold Cup consolation bracket play. Bengals standout Demetrius Orme was the star of the show, scoring 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting, connecting on all three 3-point attempts, grabbing 11 rebounds and making three steals. Sam Jackson netted 20 points for the Vikings (5-6) in the losing cause.

Durango (9-3) improved to 2-1 in Millennium Cup play, besting Lanier (Texas) 89-79 in the consolation bracket Wednesday. Martrel Johnson finished with 24 points on 10-of-21 shooting and grabbed 14 rebounds -- eight of them offensive -- for the Trailblazers. Teammates Frank Brown (17 points), Tywain McTyer (10) and Josh Wood (10) joined Johnson in double-figures.

Overall, Southern Nevada's 18 participating 4A schools went 7-11 on Wednesday, bringing their combined three-day record to 24-30.

"Colorado has a 20-game limit and they could only clear three off their schedule (for this tournament)," Holiday Prep Executive Director Larry McKay said. "They tried to get a waiver, but couldn't, and obviously, they can't go against their state rules."

In place of the scheduled Silver Cup championship, St. Mary's will match up with Smoky Hill (Colo.) out of the Millennium Cup bracket.

"I'd say that was the biggest crowd we've had at a Holiday Prep Classic game, " McKay said. "That rivaled the year (1994) Oak Hill beat Mater Dei by one in the final."