Columnist Spencer Patterson: Get set for a double dose of blue & orange

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Feb. 8, 2001 | 11:28 a.m.

Spencer Patterson's prep sports column appears Thursday. Reach him at 259-4085 or spencer@lasvegassun.com.

So you're a prep basketball fanatic, eagerly awaiting the start of Nevada's regional playoffs next week? All right then, here's a trivia question to whet your appetite.

When was the last time a single school won boys and girls (large-school) state titles in the same season?

We all know it's been a while, because a southern team hasn't won the girls title since 1980 and a northern team hasn't won the boys crown since 1992. But how many out there would have guessed the 1976-77 season, a full 25 years ago?

That's right, the last time the same school took both titles was the first year Nevada recognized a girls champion, when the Rancho Rams ruled on both courts.

Since then nine schools have won the boys title, nine have taken the girls title and one has grabbed both (Eldorado girls in '78, boys in '85). But no one has matched the Rams' feat in a single season.

Well, all that -- and you heard it here first -- is about to change. On the 23rd of February, Bishop Gorman will play for, and win, both Class 4A titles.

A second straight boys championship is all but a foregone conclusion for the 23-2 Gaels, who have yet to lose to a team from Nevada. Last week's triple-overtime squeaker against Clark provided hope for coaches statewide, but it will also help Gorman coach Bob Hubbard re-focus his troops as the postseason begins.

The Gaels are an awesome assemblage of talent: From Colorado-bound big man Jason Carter to defensive wizard C.J. Watson to sharpshooter Dinard Taylor to highlight-waiting-to-happen Justin Burns, the list goes on and on.

Keep in mind, this team trailed Virginia's Oak Hill Academy -- the nation's consensus No. 1 team -- by just three points with four minutes to play when the teams locked up in December.

So, it would seem, the larger hurdle between Gorman and its double-dip will be the girls tournament, where Southern Nevada's best have come up short against their northern counterparts for the past 20 years.

But no one will confuse Northern Nevada's top three contenders -- McQueen, Reno and Galena -- with that region's recent string of powerhouse champions (see Reed '91-93, Elko '94 and '95, McQueen '96-99). All are solid, yet none has separated itself as the team to beat in 2001.

Gorman's girls, meanwhile, have matched their boys by going unbeaten against Nevada competition this year. They have three legitimate go-to players in Jen Kline, Breona Gray and Liz Cansdale, a stable of ball-handlers capable of breaking the north's trademark pressure defenses and just enough size to keep from getting dominated on the boards.

Still not convinced? Just ask 23-3 Bonanza, a fine squad in its own right. The Bengals' first loss came at Galena, by just four points. The other two? To Bishop Gorman, by 20 and 33 points.

Of course, the Gaels could slip on their way to one, or even both, championships.

The boys could suddenly go ice-cold from long range, allowing an opponent to zone them effectively. And the girls, who missed last year's state tournament altogether, could be overwhelmed by their unfamiliar surroundings. Both scenarios seem unlikely.

What seems more likely is that this time next year, we'll be evaluating the chances of a Gorman three-peat on one side and a Gaels repeat on the other.