Cimarron in, Gorman out as playoff field shapes up

An extremely murky prep basketball playoff picture finally crystalized Thursday night, as one of the most competitive seasons in recent history ended with a bang.

No fewer than six of the 16 berths in next week's boys and girls 4A Southern Zone tournaments were still up for grabs when action began, along with several playoff seeds.

Among Thursday's biggest winners was Cimarron-Memorial, which played its way into the postseason with a 68-48 home win over Bishop Gorman.

The Gaels, on the other hand, found themselves on the outside looking in after finishing the season with back-to-back losses to Durango and the Spartans.

"We knew this was it," Cimarron coach Hank Girardi said. "Basically, this was a playoff game tonight."

Less than two weeks ago, Girardi's squad appeared to be the odd team out in a wild, five-team race for the Sunset Division's four playoff berths. But five straight wins to end the season -- including key victories over contenders Durango, Clark and Gorman -- lifted Cimarron to the conference's third seed.

"The kids showed great character," Girardi said. "It's hard after four months of basketball to stay so mentally focused."

Also earning berths in the boys tournament on the final night of the regular season were Clark, which posted an 85-53 win at Western to earn the Sunset's fourth seed, Las Vegas, which won 62-47 at Valley to finish third in the Sunrise, and Green Valley, which beat Chaparral 72-63 at home to claim the Sunrise's final spot.

Clark's win means senior Kevin Gaines, widely considered the state's top player, will make his first-ever playoff appearance. Gaines' club will play at Sunrise champion Rancho in the first round.

On the girls side, Green Valley and Bonanza captured the final playoff berths in the Sunrise and Sunset divisions, respectively, with wins Thursday night.

The Gators picked up a 59-48 victory at Chaparral to dash the Cowboys' playoff hopes, while the Bengals defended their home court, 67-46, against Durango to send the Trailblazers packing.

The girls zone tournament begins with four first round games next Tuesday, with the boys first round contests slated for the following nights. Opening-round games will be played on the higher seed's home court, with semifinal and championship games all scheduled for Valley High School next Friday and Saturday.

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