Cheyenne prevails over Clark in battle of Titans

On paper, Wednesday night's boys basketball game between Cheyenne and Clark had all the makings of a classic battle: two top 10 teams, two sets of stands filled with raucous fans and the state's top two players on opposite ends of the court.

As it turned out, when all was said and done, the contest also had the final ingredient needed to catapult it to legendary status: overtime.

Despite trailing by 10 points with under six minutes to play in regulation, the host Desert Shields clawed their way back, tying the score at 81 with 25 seconds remaining to send the game into the extra session.

That's when Cheyenne's Demetrius Hunter won the final round of his personal war with Clark's Kevin Gaines, as Hunter forced the Michigan-bound guard out of the contest with five fouls to send the Desert Shields to the 94-86 win.

Saddled with four fouls himself, Hunter made the game's key play with 2:52 left in overtime. The future Georgetown Hoya called for the ball in the low post, then turned and hung in the air as Gaines got whistled for his final foul.

"I love the competition with Kevin," said Hunter, who finished with a game-high 39 points. "I begged for the ball when I had him on my hip. He does that to me all the time."

The win helped No. 1 Cheyenne (12-3, 2-1 Sunset) avenge last Wednesday's 12-point loss to the No. 7 Chargers (10-6, 2-2) in the seventh place contest of the Las Vegas Prep Championships.

"We lost to these guys earlier this season, but that game didn't mean anything," Cheyenne coach Larry Johnson said. "I feel like we've had an NBA schedule, with 13 of our first 14 games on the road. We know you've got to win at home."

Gaines, who scored a team-high 30 points before exiting the game, brought the visitors to the brink of the upset. The 6-5 swingman torched the Desert Shields' defense for 12 points in the fourth quarter alone, but it wasn't enough to keep Cheyenne at bay.

Behind 71-61 with 5:15 to play, the hosts went on a 16-4 run to take their first lead since the opening quarter.

Desert Shields center Jason Jason (20 points, seven rebounds) spearheaded the comeback with an offensive putback, two critical rebounds and a strip of Gaines that led to an Eddie Shelby layup on the other end.

But the game's most unlikely hero proved to be junior Donnell Thomas, who calmly sank a pair of free throws in the final minute to force overtime.

Gaines had a final chance to win the game in regulation, but his halfcourt shot fell short as the buzzer sounded. From there, it was all Cheyenne, as Hunter took advantage of his counterpart's absence to score six points down the stretch.

"We never give up, especially at home where we have the crowd," Hunter said. "We just never give up."

archive