Isaiah Cottrell of Bishop Gorman High School takes a portrait during the Las Vegas Sun’s Media Day at Red Rock Resort and Casino on Oct. 30, 2018.
Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019 | 10:13 p.m.
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Bishop Gorman High’s Isaiah Cottrell patiently waited for the Clark guard to dribble the ball into the lane, seemingly enticing him to attempt a layup in Saturday night’s Desert Regional basketball championship game.
The ball was briefly in the air until Cottrell, a 6-foot-10 junior post player, swatted it away. A similar scenario happened later in the first quarter, with Cottrell again blocking the layup attempt to start a Gorman fast break.
Gorman only trailed in the opening minutes, using five blocks from Cottrell and limiting Clark to just two third-quarter points in a 57-50 victory for the regional championship.
After those initial blocks, Cottrell said he noticed Clark’s players being hesitant to attack the basket. It arguably helped Gorman take Clark out of its offensive flow. “(Those blocks) made a big difference,” he said.
Noah Taitz, who had a game-high 16 points, drained a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute of the first quarter to give Gorman the lead for good. Junior Mwani Wilkinson, typically first off the Gorman bench, started and scored 16 points in 22 productive minutes.
“(Mwani) is so raw. You can see what he does. It is pretty unbelievable,” Gorman coach Grant Rice said.
The Gaels, after holding Clark to just one basket in the third quarter, led by 11 points entering the final eight minutes. That’s when Clark quickly cut its deficit, using a 3-pointer from Frankie Collins and a 3-point play from Jalen Hill to suddenly only trail by three points with four minutes to play.
But Gorman sealed the victory at the free throw line in connecting on 26 of 34 attempts for the game, making amends for missing 18 free throws two weeks ago against Clark in a double overtime victory.
“Clark never gives up. They fought until the end,” Gorman coach Grant Rice said.
Both teams, the unquestioned best in Nevada, advance to next week’s state tournament. The general consensus is this won’t be the last time they play in continuing one of the area’s top rivalry games. At its peak, Gorman erased an eight-point deficit in the final two minutes of the 2017 state title game in extending its championship streak.
The Gaels are playing for an eighth straight title next week. Clark surely will be standing in the way.
“It feels like every week we are playing Clark,” Cottrell joked.
Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21
