Columnist Spencer Patterson: Teams catching up on Gorman

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Jan. 13, 2000 | 11:47 a.m.

Spencer Patterson's prep notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at 259-4185 or spencer@vegas.com

Even before the 1999-2000 prep basketball season started, you'd have been hard pressed to find a coach in Southern Nevada picking anyone other than Bishop Gorman to win this year's 4A state boys title.

Not only were the Gaels known to be deep, big and well-coached, but the rest of the area's basketball powers were said to be heading into down seasons, at least by their standards.

Gorman's early-season showing, particularly in the Reebok Holiday Prep Classic, did little to alter those expectations. If anything, the Gaels' second-place finish only served to strengthen the school's position as the state's overwhelming favorite.

But just when talk of an unbeaten Gorman sweep from January right through the state tournament began to surface, a funny thing happened: the Gaels dropped their conference opener last Friday night, 73-72, to Durango.

In and of itself, the Gaels' loss was hardly a harbinger of doom, even coming as it did in Gorman's home gym.

But talk to coaches this week, as area players take their exams and prepare for the conference season to come, and it quickly becomes clear that the perceived gap between Gorman and the rest of the pack may have closed ever so slightly.

"We've been on that end of it, where you come into a season with great expectations, and it's tough," Durango coach Al LaRocque said. "Teams have a way of catching up by January."

Though LaRocque is quick to affirm that Gorman is still the odds-on favorite to go all the way, there's no doubt his club's win over the Gaels has players and coaches around town believing they too can do the once-unthinkable.

Evidence of that came the night after Durango's improbable victory, when Valley played the Gaels tough until the final minutes of a 10-point Gorman win.

* POSTSEASON PARTY: Dates and venues have been firmed up for the upcoming zone and state tournaments, with the playoffs slated to begin the second week of February.

The 4A Southern Zone wrestling tournament will kick off the postseason Feb. 11-12 at Centennial, with the 4A state tournament the following weekend at Cimarron-Memorial.

The 4A Sunrise and Sunset boys and girls basketball tournaments get under way on Feb. 15, with first-round contests hosted by the higher seed. Sunrise semifinals and championships will take place at Valley on Feb. 18-19, with Sunset semis and finals at Palo Verde, also on Feb. 18-19.

Once again, UNR's Lawlor Events Center will host the 1A-4A state basketball tournaments, with 4A contests slated for Feb. 23-25.

Girls soccer regional tournaments will run from Feb. 12-19 at Las Vegas High and Durango, with the Clark County Championship tournament scheduled for Feb. 22-23 at Durango.

* ON THE AIR: Cox Cable Channel 48 will broadcast Friday's Western at Durango boys basketball game next Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

On the Internet, the website nevadapreps.rivals.com will air Friday's Western at Durango boys game, as well as Monday's Pahrump Valley at Meadows and Tuesday's Chaparral at Green Valley boys contests.