Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Gorman uses second-half burst to beat Palo Verde, win historic championship

Palo Verde trimmed deficit to 3 points in third quarter, gave four-time champion Gorman a big-time challenge

Bishop Gorman

L.E. Baskow

Bishop Gorman players celebrate their trophy after beating Palo Verde in the Division I state basketball championship on Friday, Feb. 27, 2015.

Gorman Beats Palo Verde in Title Game

Bishop Gorman's Nick Blair (23) is cheered on by teammates after a tough basket and foul during the state title game Friday, Feb. 27, 2015. Launch slideshow »
Prep Sports Now

On to state

Las Vegas Sun sports reporters Ray Brewer and Case Keefer glance at the Division-1 and Division 1-A state tournaments. Are we bound to wind up with repeat champions in both classes?

This state championship helped rewrite the record books.

The Bishop Gorman High basketball team beat Palo Verde today 74-54 in the Division I state championship game at the Orleans Arena, using dominating play from seniors Nick Blair, Chase Jeter and Stephen Zimmerman on the inside to equal a state mark with four straight large-school state championships.

It was Gorman’s 17th all-time state title to tie the Las Vegas powerhouse with Virginia City for the most championships in Nevada history. The four consecutive crowns equal Valley from the early 1980s.

Having a part in the Gorman dynasty is a fact not lost on the players, especially the seniors. Zimmerman, who has a school-record 114 wins, is believed to the be first large-school player with four championships.

“To come back to Gorman 10 years from now and see the banners on the wall and know that I was part of that and part of something so special with these group of guys makes you appreciate everything that has happened the last four years,” said Jeter, who scored a game-high 23 points.

It was the fourth meeting this season against Palo Verde, who peaked at the end of the season to reach the state tournament and give Gorman a big-time challenge. Ja Morgan finished with 17 points for Palo Verde, including a trio of 3-pointers, and scored seven quick points in the second half to trim a 10-point halftime deficit to just three points midway through the third quarter.

But Jeter scored seven of Gorman’s nine points to close the quarter on a 9-2 scoring run and the Gaels suddenly led again by 10 points. Gorman scored the initial eight points of the fourth quarter and eventually extended its lead to more than 20 points on a 3-point play from Blair, who finished with 21.

“We played a little bit smarter. We set up some easy baskets and didn’t settle for the outside shots like in the first half,” Blair said of the second-half Gorman rally.

Palo Verde, who lost to Gorman by more than 30 points in last week’s Sunset Regional championship game, executed its game plan of controlling the pace of the game for most of the initial three quarters. Only when Gorman found ways to force turnovers and score in transition did the game get out of the hand.

Junior guard Julian Payton thrived at the fast-pace in the fourth quarter to finish with 10 points, giving Gorman a spark off the bench and a perfect complementary piece to the senior trio of Blair, Zimmerman and Jeter.

“We had to turn it up a little on the defensive end,” Gorman coach Grant Rice said. “We were too tentative. We had to speed up the pace of the game and get going. Have our defense turn into offense. The end of the third quarter was huge. (We) turned a close game into a 10-point game.”

Palo Verde players have nothing to hang their heads about. Its two-week playoff run capped a season where they went from not being ranked in the preseason top 10 to nearly winning a state championship.

Players such as Morgan, senior forward Grant Dressler and junior guard Taylor Miller scored big basket after big basket in eliminating Centennial, Valley and Canyon Springs — all teams some expected them to lose to — on the way to the state finals.

“Tremendously proud. Our kids are competitors,” Palo Verde coach Paul Sanchez said. “They love the challenge of competing against Gorman.”

Sanchez, who has been part of the Palo Verde coaching staff since the school opened 19 seasons ago, made sure players knew of the program’s history during their postseason run. This was Palo Verde’s fifth state tournament appearance and fourth time reaching the championship game.

Jarrell Harrison, part of the Panthers’ 2004 state championship team, spoke to players before the game in the locker room. He made sure the players remembered to cherish the moment.

“We’ve had a lot of good players come through here,” Sanchez said. “(This year’s team) made them all proud.”

But this season, just like 2009 when Palo Verde lost in the championship game to Gorman, the Panthers will have to settle for the state runner-up trophy. That win started Gorman’s dynasty of six titles in seven seasons, a streak rewriting the record books.

“It is really special, especially with this group,” Rice said.

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

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