Win keeps Eldorado in race

There was a lot at stake for Eldorado boys basketball coach Curtis Heathman when his team hosted Rancho Monday night.

Not only was Heathman, a former Rams assistant, facing his former team. He was also facing a Rancho squad sitting where most people expected Heathman's Sundevils to be, atop the Sunrise Division with an 8-0 league record at the season's halfway point.

Yet after Heathman's charges posted a critical 64-56 victory, Eldorado's first-year coach spoke with a wisdom belying his 20-game tenure.

"It's an important win, but not just because it was Rancho," Heathman said. "Our backs were against the wall. We knew coming in that we had to win every game the rest of the way. I do believe we have to win our last eight games."

The Sundevils (9-1, 4-5 Sunrise) stayed afloat in the wild Sunrise Division. Although catching the Rams (15-5, 8-1) is likely out of the question, Eldorado resides just two games behind Basic and Las Vegas for the conference's fourth and final playoff spot.

"We dug ourselves a big hole the first half of the season," Heathman said. "But we're confident we can get it going."

Despite struggling to solve Rancho's aggressive full-court press, the hosts pulled away in the third quarter behind a defensive stand that held the Rams scoreless for more than four minutes.

After Rancho point guard Shun Atkinson scored to pull his team within three, 38-35, late in the third quarter, the visitors watched as Eldorado scored 10 unanswered points.

With the low-post combination of James Bayless (22 points, 19 rebounds) and Kevin Fane (21 points, eight rebounds) doing most of the work, the Sundevils continued to pour it on in the final quarter, building a 59-44 lead with two minutes remaining.

A flurry of Rancho steals in the final minute made things interesting. But with Atkinson (14 points) out of the game with five fouls, the Rams couldn't get closer than seven points.

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