In the end, Gaels lived up to expectations

Spencer Patterson

Monday, Feb. 28, 2000 | 9:49 a.m.

RENO -- As the final seconds ticked off the clock Friday night, Jeff Wagonseller slowly wiped his brow before joining his team and its fans in celebration.

The gesture perfectly encapsulated the Bishop Gorman boys basketball coach's primary emotion following the Gaels' 4A State Championship victory over Durango: relief.

Tabbed by area coaches and national publications as a sure thing to win the state title long before the season started, Wagonseller's club spent its 1999-2000 campaign trying to live up to those expectations.

At times, the Gaels looked like world-beaters, reaching the finals of the prestigious Reebok Holiday Prep Classic and winning the Gillette (Wyo.) Energy Classic in December.

At others, they looked like the third-best team in their own division, dropping regular-season contests to Durango and Western and falling to the Trailblazers again in the Sunset Region final.

But on Friday, the Gaels finally accomplished what everyone initially assumed they would, posting a thrilling 81-70 overtime win over Durango to claim Gorman's seventh large-school state crown.

"It was a big relief," said Wagonseller, whose club finished with a 27-5 overall record. "I do believe if we didn't win a state championship, there are so many people that would have thought our season was a failure."

Advanced billing

Long before tipping off in its first game last November, Bishop Gorman was being touted as one of the most dominant area schools in recent memory, even earning a spot in USA Today's top 10 western regional preseason rankings.

Although the Gaels missed out on the playoffs entirely in 1999, Wagonseller's club returned an athletic, deep lineup, headlined by 6-9 junior center Jason Carter -- generally considered the state's top college prospect.

"It was hard to try to keep the kids focused when they read all that stuff," Wagonseller said. "I told everyone we hadn't won anything with this group, that we'd had a two-year drought from state."

Heeding their coach's words, Gorman got out of the gates the way most people expected them to -- posting a pair of easy area wins, including a blowout against a Green Valley squad that would go on to capture the Southeast Division.

But during the Gaels' first trip out of town, the team's fans got their first sign that there might be trouble in paradise.

Gorman lost to Utah's Logan High, 70-68.

And though the Gaels certainly had a legitimate excuse for the defeat -- arriving at the gymnasium just moments before tip-off because of a problem with their bus -- Wagonseller got his first sign that his team would not be invincible.

"I could see we still had a lot of work to do," he said.

Happy holidays

The Gaels brought a 6-1 record into winter break, and played some of their best basketball over the next two weeks. With Carter and senior point guard Danny Gomez leading the way, Gorman became the first local team in more than a decade to reach the Holiday Prep finals.

Though the Gaels suffered a 20-point loss to California's Long Beach Poly in the title game, their performance in the 64-team event was enough to prompt one area coach to predict they would not suffer an in-state defeat all season.

Gorman showed no signs of slowing down the following week, capturing the Gillette tournament with three victories in Wyoming.

The last win came against host school Campbell County, the state's top-ranked team, in front of more than 2,500 screaming fans -- an experience that would prove useful down the road.

"Whenever we played in a hostile environment we would talk about that game with the kids," Wagonseller said. "That helped us in Reno."

Back to the pack

Flying high after their tournament performances and coming off an impressive 28-point win over eventual Northwest Division champion Palo Verde, the Gaels were stunned on Jan. 7, suffering a 73-72 loss to rival Durango at home in their league opener.

The Trailblazers' victory was the first sign Gorman could be beaten by a local opponent and set the tone for the other three nail-biters the two teams would play.

"Losing our first conference game brought us back to reality," Wagonseller said. "We haven't done that in a while."

The Gaels regrouped and returned to form as the conference season progressed, winning their next nine games -- including a two-point victory at Durango -- to put themselves in position to claim the Southwest Division crown on the regular season's final night.

Once again, however, Gorman failed to take advantage of a prime opportunity, falling 73-64 at Western to finish second in the division heading into the Sunset Region Tournament.

Just when he began doubting his team's ability to finish off an opponent in a big game, though, Wagonseller got a sign that his players might indeed have what it takes to win it all.

"The day after that Western loss, we had probably our most intense practice in two or three years," Wagonseller said. "We practiced for two to three hours on a Saturday morning, and the kids and coaches were so intense."

Postseason party

Gorman opened its regional tournament with a pair of relatively easy wins, downing Cheyenne by 19 points and Clark by 22. That put the Gaels into state for the first time since 1997, when they won their last 4A championship.

With the berth to Reno guaranteed, Gorman took on Durango for the third time in the Sunset Region finale. And for the third time, the two rivals played to a virtual standstill, with the Blazers ultimately coming away with a 68-66 win.

So the Gaels headed north last week still the odds-on favorite to win a state title, but with neither division nor region trophies in hand.

In round one, Wagonseller's squad would look nothing like state champions, scoring just 14 points in the first half of an ugly 49-40 win over Galena.

"We played so tight," Wagonseller said. "We were playing not to lose, instead of to win. It was ridiculous to come up there and play that way."

Carter and junior forward Paul Bania emerged from quiet first halves to spearhead the Gaels' victory, combining for 19 points after the break. The win was costly, however, as Gomez suffered a groin injury that would keep him from being a factor the rest of the way.

The following night against McQueen, the Gaels left no doubt they intended to get their title shot, hammering the Lancers 61-32. Junior forward Dyante Perkins played a key role, shutting down McQueen sharpshooter Karl Aaker, while junior guard Dinard Taylor was the offensive star, scoring a game-high 16 points for the victors.

"The kids were much more loose," Wagonseller said. "I saw them smiling out there again."

Title time

Just one game stood between Bishop Gorman and the championship it craved and, as fate would have it, the Gaels would have to beat the Trailblazers to accomplish their goal.

"Before the game we said, 'It's time to beat up the bully,' " Wagonseller said. "There's always a bully in your life that beats you up until you stand up to it, and for us that was Durango this year."

The Gaels also agreed to dedicate their championship contest to Brandon Ware, a former schoolmate who died after a battle with cystic fibrosis last summer. All season, Gorman players wore "BW" patches on their jerseys in honor of Ware, who would have been a senior this year.

"We told the kids when the going gets tough, reach down and touch the patch," Wagonseller said.

Fittingly, the fourth matchup between the two teams turned out to be the tightest. Durango grabbed an early 13-2 lead behind hot-shooting guard Morgan Bulah, but the Gaels came back to lead 30-28 at halftime.

Gorman's depth would be a major factor, as the Gaels played without junior guard Jason Rogers (broken arm) and got limited minutes from Gomez and Bania, who passed out earlier in the day with flu-like symptoms.

In their stead, sophomore forward Brandon Knott had a career night, contributing 17 points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes. Sophomore guard C.J. Watson handled much of Gomez's point guard responsibilities, dishing off a team-high five assists to go with his 10 points.

Still, with 33 seconds remaining, the Gaels were in danger of returning home title-less, trailing by three points, 64-61. But Taylor bailed out his club, draining a deep 3-pointer to tie the score and keep Gorman's dream alive.

"I've knocked that shot down hundreds of times in practice and on the playground," Taylor said. "I was dribbling down the court and saw my man backing up and took the shot."

Durango held the ball for a final shot, but Perkins -- who blanketed Durango guard Jamaal Brimmer for most of the night, holding him to 16 points on 6-for-22 shooting -- prevented the Blazers' leading scorer from touching the ball. Instead, Durango had to settle for a Martrel Johnson baseline jumper, which sailed harmlessly over the rim, sending the game into overtime.

"We just didn't want Jamaal to touch the ball," Wagonseller said. "I was satisfied with any outside shot. I didn't want them at the (free-throw) line."

The Gaels took control early in the overtime period, getting two early baskets from Knott, a Watson jumper and a Carter tip-in to claim a 72-68 lead. From there, it was simply a matter of converting free throws, which Gorman did to the tune of 9-of-11 shooting.

When the buzzer sounded, Gorman's players and coaches danced and hugged one another, as if a giant weight had been lifted from their shoulders.

But Wagonseller knows full well that eight months from now, the pressure of being the favorite will be right back with his club, probably more intensely than before. With eight of its top nine players returning, along with several promising freshmen, nothing less than a repeat state title performance will be expected in 2001.

"There will be pressure next year, no doubt," Wagonseller said. "Every time we lose people will want to know how we can lose with a team like this. But for now, we'll enjoy this one."

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