Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

High School Basketball:

Another wild finish: Findlay Prep holds off Gorman with blocked shot at buzzer

Prep Sports Now

Separation week

Las Vegas Sun sports reporters Ray Brewer and Case Keefer discuss all the big high school basketball games taking place over the next five days, culminating with the annual clash between Findlay Prep and Bishop Gorman on Saturday.

It seemed only fitting this high school basketball rivalry game wasn’t decided until the last shot. It happens that way every season.

Findlay Prep’s Horace Spencer blocked a layup attempt by Bishop Gorman’s Stephen Zimmerman as the final buzzer sounded today, preserving a 50-49 victory for the Pilots in the Big City Showdown at the South Point.

In 2011, Findlay Prep won in double overtime with a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Last year, the final shot of regulation as time expired was made by Gorman’s Nick Blair to force overtime. Gorman eventually prevailed for its first win in seven attempts in the series.

Spencer, one of four returners for Findlay Prep, was determined to make amends for last season’s loss. His one play certainly did the trick.

“It is amazing. It just feels amazing. Good-drawn play by their coach, but I had to come over and stop that play,” said Spencer, who is verbally committed to Auburn. “Feels good. Feels great. It came down to the nitty-gritty and being the toughest player in the game.”

The blocked shot was only half of the drama in the final seconds.

Gorman’s Charles O’Bannon Jr. drained a 3-pointer with two seconds remaining to trim the Gaels’ deficit to one point. Findlay Prep, ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today, simply needed to inbound the ball to win. But the Pilots couldn’t get the ball in, turning the ball over to Gorman under the Findlay basket.

After a timeout, Gorman designed a play for O’Bannon, who was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer. But officials determined the foul occurred before the shot, giving Gorman the ball out of bounds instead of awarding free throws.

The ensuing play went to Zimmerman under the basket. He was briefly open before Spencer extended to block the shot into the backboard, adding the 2015 contest to the list of great games in the rivalry.

“That’s as good as it gets. That’s a barn-burner right there. Wow,” Findlay coach Andy Johnson said. “Bishop Gorman, they are a phenomenal team. It came down to who made one more play.”

Arizona signee Allonzo Trier had a game-high 26 points for Findlay, going 9 of 9 from the free-throw line and making 3 of 6 3-pointers. Whenever Findlay needed a big basket, he delivered.

“We definitely put on a great show all the way to the end,” Trier said.

The 6-foot-5 O’Bannon, a sophomore, continued to be a breakout star for the Gaels, leading them with 18 points. Earlier in the week, he scored 22 points against Montverde Academy at the HoopHall Classic and immediately picked up scholarship offers from Arizona, USC and Washington.

“Chuck is really coming around,” Gorman coach Grant Rice said. “The city is on notice we have a pretty good sophomore over here at Bishop Gorman. His time has come, and he’s shown he’s a pretty special guy.”

Both teams are national brands and feature top recruiting targets, helping grow the rivalry into one of the nation’s best. Today’s wild finish certainly helps cement that status. The announced attendance was 3,179.

Despite the loss, three-time defending state champion Gorman grabbed momentum for the home stretch of the season and playoffs. The Gaels should again be Nevada’s No. 1-ranked team.

“I’m proud of our guys,” Rice said. “... We can build off this. This game is great for the fans, great for the city.”

The Big City Challenge grew this year to four games. Liberty’s girls defeated Gorman 45-35 in a potential state-championship game preview; Centennial’s boys lost 71-59 to Maranatha of California; and Las Vegas High downed Santa Monica of California, 71-69, thanks to 29 points from Patrick Savoy Jr.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21

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