Bishop Gorman head coach Grant Rice yells to his players during their game against Findlay Prep Saturday, January 22, 2011 at the Cox Pavilion. Findlay eked out an 89-86 double overtime win.
Friday, Feb. 4, 2011 | 12:27 p.m.
Prep Sports Now
Stakes are raised with regular season winding down
Las Vegas Sun sports reporters Case Keefer and Ray Brewer take a look around Las Vegas at the teams that are peaking at the right time. They also break down some of the week's most important contests.
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Bishop Gorman High basketball coach Grant Rice couldn’t ask for a better tune-up in preparing his team for the upcoming playoffs.
The Gaels at 7:30 p.m. Saturday will play host Long Beach Poly (Calif.) on ESPN2, showcasing their team of several Division I recruits to a national audience and providing one last stern test before the postseason begins in two weeks. Long Beach Poly (19-0) is ranked No. 3 nationally by USA Today.
It’s also the Gaels’ last chance to make a splash nationally. At 19-5 overall, all five of Gorman’s defeats have come against top-25 teams as they’ve traveled to venues in Florida, Oregon and Massachusetts playing one of the nation’s most demanding schedules.
In four of the fives games, Gorman had the lead in the fourth quarter.
“We were pretty much a possession or two away in those four games from having a pretty good year,” Rice said. “We’d like to really win this one. This one is important for us.”
Gorman has played Long Beach Poly twice this year, once during a summer league and once during the fall. They’ve lost twice, but the defeats have been by a combined six points.
“We are pretty familiar with all their guys,” Rice said. “These days with AAU basketball, all of the kids know each other.”
Gorman also played on a ESPN network in mid-January, losing 79-63 to St. Patrick of New Jersey on ESPNU. It was the lone game this season where Gorman appeared overmatched.
“It is a great thing for the kids and for the school to (be showcased) on ESPN,” Rice said. “Hopefully this will go a little better than it did (in mid-January).
Gorman, the two-time defending state champions, essentially clinched the Southwest Division title Thursday night with a 90-80 victory against second-place Sierra Vista. Junior Shabazz Muhammad had 37 points to help the Gaels build a 20-point lead in the second half, but Sierra Vista hit several jump shots late to make things interesting.
Viko Noma’aea caught fire late for Sierra Vista in finishing with 28 points, and Maiscei Grier added 24 points.
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