Southern Nevada teams post wins over North foes

Spencer Patterson

Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2002 | 10:27 a.m.

The 4A state boys basketball tournament is still a month away, but on Monday Southern Nevadans received a strong indication the trophy will likely be theirs for a 10th straight year.

Galena and Elko, two of the Northern Region's top squads, made a rare visit to Las Vegas for the second annual Nevada Sports Network Classic at Durango High. Both left after suffering double-digit losses to their southern counterparts.

The Grizzlies, ranked early this season in the Sun's statewide poll, had no success whatsoever against a far more athletic Cheyenne squad, falling 85-60 to the No. 4 Desert Shields. To make matters worse, Galena played most of the second half without coach Tom Mauer, who was ejected by referees early in the third quarter.

The Indians, meanwhile, gave No. 2 Bishop Gorman everything it could handle in the first half, going into the locker room down by just five points. But after absorbing Elko's best shot, the Gaels raised their game, coming away with a 57-47 win.

"They're a good team -- good fundamentally and well-coached," Gorman coach Grant Rice said of 13-7 Elko, the state's ninth-ranked team. "They have nothing to be ashamed of. It was a long bus trip and they came down and played well."

The Indians stayed even for most of the first half behind senior stars Matt Alleman and Dusty Inman. The duo combined to score 25 of their team's 27 points before the break, with Inman connecting on four 3-pointers.

But after going down 27-26, the Gaels (15-5) closed the half with a 6-0 flurry -- all six points courtesy of guard C.J. Watson -- to take a 32-27 lead. Gorman kept its momentum after the break, holding the Indians scoreless for the first five minutes and building a 12-point lead that would never shrink below nine.

Watson finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and three steals to lead the Gaels, with Brandon Knott adding 14 points and five rebounds. Alleman wound up with 19 points, with Inman close behind with 17.

"I think they'll do well the rest of the year, and maybe we'll see them again (at state)," Rice said. "But we have to realize that if we see them again the tables will be turned -- it will be on (a northern) court."

Cheyenne (20-4) needed no time to distance itself from the Grizzlies (9-11), building a 20-10 lead after one quarter and cruising from there, holding a double-digit lead throughout.

"The (northern) style is a little bit different," Cheyenne coach Larry Johnson said. "Down here we play more up-tempo and we have more a little bit more athleticism."

Johnny Wheeler led five Shields in double figures with 18 points, followed by Kevin Richardson (16), Greg Barlow (14), Chad Ferguson (12) and Lorrenzo Wade (10). Galena's Joe Heaton had 23 points.

In other NSNC action Monday, Vo-Tech topped The Meadows 61-59 in overtime, Desert Pines ran past Mojave 84-68, Basic downed Clark 62-59, Centennial fended off Eldorado 66-61 and Green Valley blasted Durango 95-51.