Gaels rally for third straight state title - Sports

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Feb. 23, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Gaels rally for third straight state title

Gorman overcomes frustration, Reno with 23-0 second-half surge

By JON GOLD

REVIEW-JOURNAL

High School Basketball - Girls

Gorman players celebrate after beating Reno for the Class 4A state championship Friday at Lawlor Events Center in Reno. The Gaels overcame an eight-point deficit early in the second half and prevailed, 65-48.
Photo by Liz Margerum/SPECIAL TO THE REVIEW-Journal

Gorman’s Ashley Gayle blocks a shot by Reno’s Abby Boorman in the Class 4A state title game Friday in Reno. Gayle finished with 18 points, 16 rebounds and 10 blocks, her third straight triple-double.
Photo by Liz Margerum/SPECIAL TO THE REVIEW-Journal

RENO -- Down 23-19 at halftime against Reno in the Class 4A girls state basketball championship game Friday night, Bishop Gorman was frustrated, frazzled and fuming.

Things just weren't going their way -- the Huskies were controlling the tempo, banging the boards and playing near-perfect perimeter defense.

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Then the third quarter started, and Reno's Abby Boorman hit two 14-foot shots to stretch the lead to eight.

Eh, no big deal.

The Gaels went on a 23-0 run in the next six minutes and never looked back, taking their third straight state title, 65-48 at Lawlor Events Center.

At halftime, coach Sheryl Krmpotich was flustered: "I just wanted halftime to come so I could tell them exactly what I wanted."

And forward Kiara Belen was harried: "It was really important for (Krmpotich) and the coaches not to be negative. As a team, we were kind of frazzled at the half."

But guard Darriel Gaynor was just plain angry: "I wasn't sad or frustrated, I was pissed off. We just couldn't get anything to flow."

Then Ashley Gayle grabbed a rebound on a Gaynor missed free throw and muscled her way in for a basket, sparking the run. Gayle scored seven of her game-high 18 points in the sequence, notching her third straight triple-double with 16 rebounds and 10 blocks.

But Krmpotich was especially impressed with her 6-foot-4-inch center's offense, as the defensive stalwart started demanding the ball, taking advantage of a height advantage in the post alongside 6-4 Dannielle Diamant.

"They have one 6-3 kid, and the other one is 5-8," Krmpotich said. "I told them, 'Do the math. Get it to the one guarded by the 5-8 kid.' We did that and kind of adjusted."

But Reno coach Shane Foster was more impressed with Gayle's defense.

"We spread the floor and attacked, we tried to get into her body, we couldn't get into her body -- I mean, we did everything we could," Foster said. "You could put her on a mediocre team, and they're sitting right there, right now. That's how good she is."

The Huskies (29-4) built their lead to eight after falling behind early, cracking Gorman's full-court press midway through the second quarter. After committing four turnovers to start the quarter, falling behind by six points, Reno opened up its offense as forward Sarah Finlay grabbed six rebounds.

"I thought we gave them the confidence in the first half," Krmpotich said. "We were rattled and not playing good 'D'. But once we made the adjustment, it was a different game."

Maybe things clicked for the Gaels (29-4) at halftime or when they made adjustments.

Or maybe it all started three years ago.

After a double-digit loss to Reno in the 2005 state semifinals, three brash freshmen approached Krmpotich, broken, crying. They pulled her aside in the locker room of the Orleans Arena and made a promise.

Three straight state championship rings.

Those three freshmen blossomed into seniors -- Gaynor, Gayle and Belen -- and they kept that promise.

"I looked at them at halftime and I said, 'You promised me three, and I'm not leaving without this one,' " Krmpotich said. "'Even if I have to stay out in the middle of the court.' "

Contact reporter Jon Gold at jgold@review-journal.com or (702) 380-4587.

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Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background. Get Over It wrote on March 01, 2008 10:04 AM: Stop complaining and send your kids to Gorman if you want. Yes I graduated from Gorman when it was a small school being abused by the so called public schools in Vegas. Girls basketball went like 0-23 every year when I was there. Gorman knows how to move forward and has done just that. Gorman is the pride of Vegas High Schools. The best educated members of society graduate from Gorman. Prep Fan wrote on February 24, 2008 11:16 PM: Cograts to Gorman for buying another state championship. "Fair play" the two young men that were from Africa were not a factor for the boys program last year. I agree that winning state titles at any cost is a goal of Bishop Gorman. D wrote on February 23, 2008 07:26 PM: I have watched Ashley Gayle blossum into a beast of a player since 7th grade, The girl is BAD! I do agree that it is SOOO unfair the way Gorman recruits. Why is there not a huge uprising from the other schools and the community??? And to answer your question, no, Gayle is not from Rowanda Sheila Temper wrote on February 23, 2008 02:11 PM: Reno Huskies Win Nevada State Public School Basketball Championship! I really enjoyed the game last night in Reno. It confirmed that Reno is the #1 team from the north and the #1 public school girls basketball team in Nevada. After beating Reed for the Northern Nevada Public School Championship last week, Reno beat the Southern Nevada Public School Champion, Silverado, Thursday night to take the Nevada Public Schools Girls Basketball State title. Then, last night the Reno High girls agreed to play an exhibition game against one of the top Catholic athletic All-Star recruiting schools in the nation, Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas, and scared the heck out of them before losing 65-48. The Reno guards clearly out ran and out played the hand picked Bishop Gorman guards the entire game. But for Reno's 3rd quarter mental lapse and the dominant post play by Gorman's well groomed MacDonalds' All-American Ashley Gayle in that period, Reno would have come out the winner. It is rumored that within a couple of years the professional private school All-Star recruiting teams will have their own state and nation wide tournaments and will not have to beg for exhibition games against the "play with who you get" public schools to further the exposure of their recruiting programs. See you next year! Fair play wrote on February 23, 2008 09:27 AM: "But guard Darriel Gaynor was just plain angry: "I wasn't sad or frustrated, I was pissed off." Wow, what a class act, that Catholic upbringing is certainly paying dividends. Does anyone besides me think that the only thing that matters at Gorman is winning championships? I note they have 2 girls 6' 4" apiece. They didn't by chance come from Rawanda like those 2 fellas on the boy's team last year did they?