Palo hoops player commits to Northern Arizona

By Christopher Drexel

Friday, Oct. 10, 2008 | midnight

Palo Verde basketball player Hayley Henderson will stay close to home for college.

The senior point guard committed to play at Northern Arizona on Sept. 29. She chose the Lumberjacks over UC Santa Barbara and San Diego.

"I think (NAU is) a great spot for her," said Rick Eurich, who coached Henderson the last two years at Palo Verde before taking the boys coaching position at Bonanza in May. "The coaches have seem to have a genuine interest in her and that makes a big difference when you select a college."

Henderson averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 assists and four rebounds as a junior last season to lead the Panthers to a 23-9 record.

Henderson was recently named a preseason All-American Honorable Mention by the Sporting News magazine.

"I would describe her has a hard-nosed, willing to do whatever she needs to do to make her team better," Eurich said. "She was a great leader on the floor and helped some of less talented players on the team develop into team members that were able to contribute."

Gorman soccer hit with injuries

The two-time defending state champion Bishop Gorman Gaels soccer team has been without its last two lines of defense, senior goalkeeper Joe Vitale and sophomore sweeper Connor Zanoni the past month.

Despite the injuries, Gorman's record stood at 9-3, 6-3 in the Southwest Division through Oct. 6.

"In the last two years, we haven't had any major injuries and losing your goalkeeper and sweeper have been tough," Gorman coach Nick Arbalaez said. "But the three losses don't mean a whole lot. It only really matters when you get to playoffs. We're still a scary team no matter what seed we receive in the playoffs."

Vitale has been out since breaking his wrist when an opposing player stepped on it during a game Sept. 8. He was scheduled to have pins removed Oct. 7 and should be back in less than two weeks.

Zanoni has not played since mid September after partially tearing ligaments in his right ankle on Sept. 16. Arbalaez moved senior Cody Barnett, a senior who typically plays midfield, back to sweeper in Zanoni's absence. Junior Jake O'Rourke has taken over in goal.

"We're still looking for that consistency but I believe we're one of the favorites for state," Arbalaez said. "If we stay healthy, we'll be a tough team to beat."

Christopher Drexel can be reached at 990-8929 or [email protected].