Gorman girls halt Bengals’ win streak

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Jan. 18, 2001 | 10:26 a.m.

For weeks, Wednesday night's matchup between No. 3 Bishop Gorman and No. 5 Bonanza has loomed as a potential girls basketball contest for the ages.

Instead, it was simply no contest.

In just their third game with senior star Jen Kline in the lineup, the Gaels easily disposed of visiting Bonanza 76-56, ending the Bengals' 16-game winning streak and serving notice Gorman could be Southern Nevada's most dangerous state title contender in years.

"We've been waiting for this for a long time," Gaels guard Breona Gray said afterwards. "Everybody's talking about Bonanza this and Bonanza that. We came out here to show there is no Bonanza. Gorman is the team to beat, and we're hoping to take state, just like the boys."

Kline -- a first-team Sun all-state selection in her last full season -- returned last week from a one-year athletic suspension, a result of her transfer from Basic. She joins a lineup that already included two of Las Vegas' top players in Gray and forward Liz Cansdale.

That trio combined to score all but six of Gorman's points, with Gray leading the way with 31 on 12-of-25 shooting from the floor. Cansdale knocked down three 3-pointers en route to 25 points, and Kline added 14 despite converting just 5-of-20 field goal attempts.

"It's tough to stop three good scorers," said Gorman coach Sheryl Krmpotich, whose squad improved to 16-2, 3-0 Southwest. "(Jen) hasn't played in a year, so offensively she's still getting her timing. But she plays in and out, she can handle the ball, she understands the game and she's experienced."

In particular, Kline struggled from long range, missing all three 3-point attempts, as well as her two other deep jump shots. Undaunted, she found other ways to help her club, grabbing 18 rebounds and blocking four shots to turn away Bonanza (20-2, 2-1).

Gray keyed the Gaels' transition game, coming up with six steals and converting most into easy buckets on the other end. The 5-7 sophomore also showed off an ever-improving outside shot and hustled her way to 10 rebounds.

After taking a 36-22 lead out of halftime, the Gaels saw their advantage shrink to nine points, 41-32, with Bonanza point guard Lyndsay Gensler scoring her team's first 10 points to open the half.

But the hosts quickly regained control, closing out the third quarter with a 14-4 run of their own. In the fourth, they built their largest lead, 74-45, before the Bengals whittled the final margin to 20.

The Gaels' only real scare of the night came late in the fourth, when freshman point guard Shanae Green went down in a pile and came out limping. Krmpotich said Green re-aggravated a previous ankle injury and likely will not be out of the lineup long.