Western takes thriller

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Feb. 22, 2001 | 11:08 a.m.

Wednesday's scores

Western 72, McQueen 61, 2 OT

Las Vegas 60, Reno 46

Galena 56, Green Valley 41

B. Gorman 76, Desert Pines 56

Today's semifinals

Western (24-5) vs. Las Vegas (24-5), 5 p.m.

B. Gorman (28-2) vs. Galena (24-7), 8:10 p.m.

RENO -- As free throw after free throw clanked off the rim, the look on Western coach Tony Hopkins' face slowly changed from frustration to total exasperation.

Favorites to reach the finals of this week's 4A State Boys Basketball Tournament, Hopkins' Warriors were suddenly in danger of falling to McQueen in Wednesday's opening round -- a product of their poor foul shooting in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.

But after surviving some scary moments in regulation and one overtime session, Western finally found a player who could get it done at the line. Senior Wendell West knocked down 6-of-8 free throws in a second overtime to help the Warriors to a wild 73-61 marathon victory.

"The way we were shooting free throws ... oh my God," Hopkins said. "We're just excited to still be alive, to still be playing.

"The first round in the tournament is the hardest round. You don't play to win. Everybody is playing not to lose. But you'll see better basketball (today) in the second round," Hopkins added.

The Warriors (24-5) will face Las Vegas (20-11) in the first of today's boys semifinals at 5 p.m. The Wildcats advanced with a 60-46 win over Reno High, knocking out the team many considered the best hope to end Northern Nevada's 25-year large-school state title drought. Since Carson's win in 1975, the only non-southern school to win the championship has been California's South Tahoe (1987 and '92).

In tonight's second semifinal, top-ranked Bishop Gorman (28-2) will take on Galena (24-7), the last remaining northern entry. The Gaels moved on with a 76-56 victory over Desert Pines, while the Grizzlies bounced Green Valley, 56-41.

But it was Wednesday's first boys game -- Western's double-OT thriller against McQueen -- that still had fans talking as they exited Nevada-Reno's Lawlor Events Center nearly 10 hours later.

The Warriors (24-5), ranked No. 2 in the state for most of the season, took a big hit when big man Tim Day picked up his fourth foul with three minutes remaining in the third quarter. The 6-5 Day remained in the game, but was limited defensively, allowing McQueen to score virtually at will in the paint.

"We needed (Day) on the offensive end because of the attention he brings, so we told him if he had to, to concede any layups," Hopkins said. "We had to roll the dice."

Nevertheless, with seven minutes left in regulation, the Warriors owned a 52-45 lead and appeared well on their way to the next round. And then the team's troubles at the line began.

Western players missed 6-of-8 free throws down the stretch, allowing the Lancers to take a brief 54-53 lead before point guard P.J. Stinnett finally connected from the line to send the game into overtime tied at 54.

McQueen, which had already seen top scorer Karl Aaker foul out in regulation, soon lost point guard Chris Carr to fouls as well in the first overtime. Yet the Lancers hung tough, rallying again to extend the game another four minutes.

But from there it was all Western, more specifically West, who calmly took care of business at the line to up his game-high point total to 30.

"We run a lot in practice so I feel comfortable shooting the ball when I'm tired," West said. "I just want to take the big shot, and coach wants me to shoot the ball in that situation."

Brandon Weaver (12), Matt Robinson (11) and Day (10) also finished in double figures for the Warriors, while Aaker led the Lancers with 18 points.

"(Padgett) sat there in the post and let our kid post up," Las Vegas coach Bob Beskow said. "You have to take it to him. Apparently, all he wants to do is block shots."

Leading 38-36 after three quarters, the Wildcats slowly pulled away in the final eight minutes thanks to superb shooting from the charity stripe. Atwater, Martell Shelton, Stanley Copeland and Josh Capron combined to make 12-of-14 shots from the line in the final quarter to seal the win for Las Vegas.

Yale-bound point guard Alex Gamboa helped keep Reno (24-7) in the game, knocking down three 3-pointers en route to a team-high 18 points. Zach Queen joined Atwater in double figures for the Wildcats, scoring 11 points.

Leading 30-29, Galena went on a 15-2 run to start the final quarter, pushing the lead out to 15 points and ending hopes for an all-southern semifinal round. Sam Sikes led the charge with seven points during the surge, including a long 3-pointer from the top of the arc.

"We heard that both the north teams so far had gotten knocked out, so we wanted to come out and represent the north and our school," Sikes said.

Sikes led all scorers with 19 points, followed closely by teammate Joe Heaton (18). Ron Dunlap was the only Gator in double figures with 12 points.

"We picked it up defensively, and it changed the whole complexion of the game," Gorman coach Bob Hubbard said. "When we're a good basketball team, it starts on defense. If we play defense like we did tonight, we'll be tough to beat."

Switching from zone to man-to-man defense, the Gaels forced the Jaguars (18-7) into 3-of-13 shooting and five turnovers in the decisive third quarter, while Gorman's high-octane offense hit full gear on the other end.

Center Jason Carter (16 points, seven rebounds, three blocks) and guards Dinard Taylor (15 points, three 3-pointers) and C.J. Watson (10 points, six steals) led the assault for the Gaels, who also got 13 points from Justin Burns and 12 from Paul Bania.

Nick Porter had 19 points and 11 rebounds for Desert Pines, while teammate Antonio Williams added 14 points.