Gorman puts squeeze on Hug

Adam Candee

Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2003 | 9:52 a.m.

Bishop Gorman may not be the prettiest girl at the party, but the Gaels keep being invited to dance and, for now, that will suffice.

Gorman fell behind by 14 points in the first half before rallying behind a pressure defense that befuddled Hug en route to a 67-60 victory in the Nevada Sports Network Classic tournament Monday at Green Valley.

Gorman coach Grant Rice did not quibble with the victory over one of northern Nevada's top squads. But the Gaels' sluggish effort did not please him.

"We just fell asleep," Rice said. "I thought we'd be ready to play because Hug is one of the best teams in the state."

Yet somehow, the Gaels (15-3) manage to keep winning without what Rice considers their best game.

Billed as a showdown between the North and the South, it definitely did not appear early that the game featured two of the Sun's Top 10-ranked squads. Gorman limped to a five-point edge after one quarter before the Hawks exploded in the second quarter of a foul-marred first half. Referees whistled 25 combined fouls and both teams entered the double bonus.

Thanks to some sloppy Gorman play and Hug's transition conversions, the Hawks ripped off a 20-4 run to go up by 14. But Hug would turn equally uncomfortable with prosperity, allowing Kashif Watson and the Gaels to storm back within 39-37 at halftime.

Coming off the bench with sore knees, Watson scored 11 of his game-high 16 points in the first half.

"We started a little bit slow in the first half, but then in the second half, we got it going," Watson said.

Gorman came out of halftime in an aggressive halfcourt trap and forced a number of Hug turnovers. Before long, the Gaels had a 9-0 run of their own, pushing their lead to 52-45 late in the third quarter. Hug would draw no closer than four points the rest of the way, thanks in part to what Rice saw as a bright spot for his team.

The Gaels avoided their Achilles heel by converting clutch free throws late in the game, going 10-for-15 from the foul line in the second half.

Robert Porter added 13 points for the Gaels, and Brandon Prescott totaled nine as part of a balanced Gorman attack.

Mitchell Moore and Wendell Ware both scored 15 points to spearhead Hug.