Bishop Gorman girls aim to end southern drought

RENO -- One long futility streak down, one much longer futility streak to go.

That's the rallying cry for Bishop Gorman's girls basketball team, which will play for its first-ever state title at the Lawlor Events Center tonight at 8:30 p.m.

With their 49-34 semifinal victory over Carson Thursday, the Gaels (29-4) became the first southern team to reach the large-school championship game since 1992, when Las Vegas High lost to Reed in the finals.

With that six-year appearance-less string out of the way, Gorman will have a much larger task when it takes the court tonight: break the south's 25-year title-less streak against three-time defending champion McQueen.

The Lancers (26-6) got back into the championship game with a less-than-dominant 55-43 win over Elko Thursday night, but don't be fooled. McQueen is nearly everyone's pick to make it four in a row tonight. Everyone that is, except the Gaels.

"We just need to worry about ourselves," said Gorman senior center Paige Sutton, who scored 19 points to lead the Gaels past the Senators (20-12). "The key will be whoever can play the hardest defense and rebound better."

Defense certainly helped Sutton's squad get to this point in the tournament, with the Gaels holding their two opponents to a combined 75 points.

"We've been switching our defenses a little more," said Gorman coach Sheryl Krmpotich, whose squad used man-to-man, zone and box-and-one defenses against Carson. "We showed a lot of hustle defensively against a team that's very good."

After digging themselves a 16-3 hole in Wednesday's first-round win over Galena, the Gaels came out on a mission Thursday, posting a 16-5 lead of their own to take control.

The 6-2 Sutton was the story on offense, taking her game inside for layups and hook shots and outside for a 3-pointer en route to 11 first-half points.

Defensively, Gorman forced Carson into eight first-half turnovers and 6-for-20 shooting to go into the locker room with a 20-14 halftime edge.

The Senators, who rallied to eliminate Southern Zone champion Silverado Wednesday, tried to do so again in this one, cutting a nine-point deficit to five, 30-25, on a pair of free throws by Pam Williams (13 points, nine rebounds) early in the fourth quarter.

But the Gaels kept their composure down the stretch, as Sutton and sophomore guard Liz Cansdale combined for nine points to push the lead back to 10 points. Gorman put the game away with solid 15-for-17 free-throw shooting in the final quarter.

Cansdale finished with 15 points and seven rebounds for Gorman, while teammate Anne Sostman added 10 points and three steals. Sutton had seven rebounds to go with her 19 points.

Carson's inside trio of Williams, Kristina Yeskie and Alyson Thurman combined for 25 rebounds -- a statistic that does not bode well for the Gaels as they prepare for a McQueen team that goes 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 on the front line.

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