Gaels hold off Spartan upset try

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Feb. 16, 2001 | 11:01 a.m.

The Cimarron-Memorial Spartans nearly turned the prep basketball world on its head Thursday night.

Expected to give top-ranked Bishop Gorman little resistance in round one of the 4A Sunset Region Tournament, the Spartans rose to the challenge and almost pulled off the biggest playoff upset in recent state history.

Riding the hot hand of forward Jason Petrimoulx, Cimarron had the defending state champs on the ropes, leading by 10 points near the end of the third quarter.

But the Gaels calmly turned the tide down the stretch, making a succession of big plays on both ends of the floor to squeak out a 60-57 victory at Palo Verde High School and keep their season alive.

"We came out looking toward the future," Gorman forward Paul Bania admitted afterwards. "We weren't looking toward this game. But we've learned our lesson, and it won't happen again."

Petrimoulx, who finished with a game-high 33 points, gave the Spartans (9-17) all the confidence they would need early, sinking 10-of-11 field-goal attempts in the first half to give the underdogs a surprising 37-34 halftime edge.

Visibly frustrated both with the officiating and Cimarron's slow-down offensive sets, the Gaels (25-2) continued to fall behind in the third quarter, eventually going down 53-43 on a Petrimoulx jumper.

But from there, it was all Gorman. A pair of C.J. Watson free throws and a Brandon Knott hook shot cut the deficit to six points going into the fourth, and the Gaels opened the final quarter with an emphatic 11-0 run to regain control.

Bania spearheaded the surge, finding Watson twice for layups and scoring six points of his own on aggressive drives to the basket. Gorman also turned up its defense, forcing eight fourth-quarter turnovers with an intense half-court trap.

"We needed to double-team everything and speed it up," Gaels coach Bob Hubbard said. "But when the refs are calling all those ticky-tack fouls, you can't be aggressive. I don't usually complain about the officiating, but that was one of the worst officiated games I've seen all year."

The Spartans had two chances to tie the game in the closing moments, but 3-point shots by Robert Young and Petrimoulx missed the mark.

Watson finished with 19 points to lead the Gaels, with Justin Burns and Bania adding 13 and 11 points, respectively.

Gorman needs one more victory to earn a return trip to next week's 4A State Tournament in Reno. The Gaels will try to get that win against Clark -- a squad that took them to triple-overtime on Jan. 31 -- tonight at 8:15.

"Clark played us really tough at their place, and I expect another battle," Hubbard said. "They do a lot of things defensively that create problems for teams."

The Chargers (12-8) advanced with a 78-62 win over Mojave behind a 17-point, 10-rebound performance by center Michael Cooper. The Clark big man scored 10 points in the final five minutes, after the Rattlers (9-16) had whittled an 18-point Charger lead down to nine.

"My kids think they can beat Gorman, and that's the most important part," Clark coach Brad Query said. "Our kids believe that as long as we play hard, we have a chance to win."

Agreed Cooper: "We have no fear at all. They knocked us out of the playoffs last year, and we're looking forward to playing them again."

Andre Lawson scored 20 points for Mojave, with Eric Howard adding 17.

On the other side of the bracket, Northwest Division champ Cheyenne (22-7) survived a scare against Bonanza (10-11), rallying late for a 56-49 win. The Bengals only found out they were in the playoffs on Wednesday, after Durango forfeited three games for playing an academically ineligible athlete.

Desert Shields forward Adib Salim scored 12 points and Kevin Richardson added 16 points for the victors. Keith Kidwell (15 points) led a balanced attack for the Bengals.

Cheyenne will face Western (22-4) today at 4:45 p.m., with one of the Sunset's two state berths on the line. The Warriors moved on with an 80-73 win over host Palo Verde, getting 31 points from Wendell West and 19 from Tim Day. Henry Buchanan and Andy Gums netted 17 points apiece for the Panthers (7-20).