Columnist Spencer Patterson: Nearly every Sunrise team still has a shot

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Jan. 25, 2001 | 11:32 a.m.

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

Thus far, most of the focus in the 2000-2001 prep basketball season has been on the Sunset Region, and rightly so.

With Bishop Gorman, Western, Durango, Clark and Cheyenne dominating the boys scene and Gorman, Bonanza and Centennial topping the area's girls rankings, it's clear Southern Nevada's top state title hopefuls reside on the west side of town.

But let's not forget, as fate would have it, three berths to both 4A state tournaments will go to teams from the Sunrise Region this year, compared with just two from the Sunset.

With few teams separating themselves from the pack on the east side, it would appear nearly every Sunrise team can begin the second half of its league season Friday night with realistic hopes of earning a trip to Reno.

On the boys side, Desert Pines and Green Valley look like the cream of the crop, with both in prime position to win division titles.

Like their football team before them, the second-year Jaguars have shown they can win consistently. They are athletic and deep, and should overcome potential playoff jitters to claim a state berth.

After a somewhat rough start, the Gators are playing with confidence and seem to improve with each contest. Sophomore center Mitch Platt is developing into one of the area's top big men, and senior point guard Jamar Jordan provides the type of veteran leadership necessary to win in February.

The Sunrise's third state spot, however, is absolutely up in the air, with every other school in position to grab it with a string of wins at the right time. Valley, Las Vegas, Foothill, Chaparral and Vo-Tech have all shown flashes this year, and any could find its way to the Lawlor Events Center.

The crystal ball is even fuzzier on the girls side, with 17-4 Silverado the only proven commodity in the Sunrise. The Skyhawks have yet to lose to an area foe, and are a virtual lock to return to state for the fourth straight year.

After that, things are a tossup. Las Vegas, Eldorado, Basic and Green Valley are the leading contenders, but none has done anything to suggest it would be anything but easy fodder for a northern opponent in Reno.

The regular season's remaining two weeks will narrow the field slightly, with three Sunrise teams missing the boys and girls regionals altogether. As for who has what it takes to make state, that is anybody's guess.

The contest was originally slated to be played at Gorman this Friday night, but the two teams worked out the new arrangement with the Bandits, in part to alleviate the annual ticket shortage the Gaels face when Durango comes calling.

Area high school students get into the doubleheader for $5, with tickets on sale now.

The Wildcats finished two points ahead of host Pine View, and 7.5 ahead of defending state champion Cimarron-Memorial. Rancho (5th), Palo Verde (9th) and Cheyenne (10th) also placed among the top 10.

Other area wrestlers taking home individual titles were: Rancho's Chase Diller (112) and Josh Medina (145), Cimarron's Rayes Gonzales (152), Palo Verde's Ryan Worthen (189) and Silverado's V.R. Bohman (275).

Also last weekend, Durango placed third for the third straight year at the High Desert Classic in California, with Alan McIver (119) and Chad Freel (130) winning titles in their weight classes. Chaparral finished just behind Durango, in fourth place.