Long time coming

Lady Gaels win state for first time in school history

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All good things come to he -- or she -- who waits.

That was certainly the case this season as coach Sheryl Krmpotich and her Bishop Gorman High School girls basketball team finally captured the Class 4A girls state championship after beating Reed, 65-56, in the title game on Feb. 25 at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno.

Gorman, a perennial powerhouse in Las Vegas hoops, has won 11 boys state championships, but, until this season, had not found a way to bring home the girls championship plaque.

Eighth-year coach Krmpotich, better known to her players as Coach K, was ecstatic to finally get that proverbial monkey off her back with the big win over the Raiders in the finals.

"It's a sigh of relief and an honor to be the first one not only in the school's history to win, but just to have that opportunity," Krmpotich said. "It means everything. To have the opportunity to bring home the hardware was incredible. This team has been just magical all year."

Helping the Lady Gaels against Reed (21-9 overall) were senior forward Lauren Hoisington (16 points and eight rebounds) and sophomore center Ashley Gayle (11 points and 12 rebounds), who dominated with their size in the paint.

Going out on top for Southwest Division MVP Hoisington -- who signed to attend San Diego State University after averaging 18 points and eight rebounds per game this season -- and fellow seniors Ali Godino, Lynsey Freeman and Ashley Freeman was especially sweet after falling short the past three seasons.

Krmpotich talked about seniors Hoisington and Godino, who had dreamed of this moment their entire high school career.

"They've been with me for four years so their first year they were runner-up, and then their last year they're state champions, so they worked their tails off for this program, for my staff," she said. "They're just two quality kids that have gone through everything. We've gone through everything together so it's nice to finish on that type of a note."

Gorman (31-1 overall) advanced to the title game by eliminating the North's top seed, Galena, in the semifinals, 63-51, on Feb. 23. Hoisington (12 points), junior Kaila Goff (11) and Lynsey Freeman (10) led the charge against the Grizzlies.

"We just played Gorman basketball. Obviously our post game was deadly -- it's been deadly all year," Krmpotich said. "If they keyed on our post we were hoping our guards would step up. And each game it was somebody else coming through."

As always for girls teams in the Sunset Region, getting to state was no easy task. For Gorman, it meant yet another meeting with a team that had been between the Gaels and the championship every February -- four-time defending state champions Centennial (26-4).

The Gaels locked horns with the Bulldogs in the Sunset Region championship game on Feb. 17 at Sierra Vista and almost didn't get to make the trip to Reno as they trailed 75-66 with just 3:35 left in the game.

But Krmpotich called possibly her most important timeout of the season to let her team know the game wasn't over yet.

"We were actually in a worse situation before. We were down 16, 17 to Marin Catholic with six minutes left and we actually tied it," Krmpotich said. "So in a four-minute span we scored 17 points. So I was like, 'Ladies, we've been in worse.' And it was kind of a relief because they knew they could do it. It was just a matter of stepping up and playing basketball."

And step up they did. Triggered by some fantastic outside shooting by sophomore Darriel Gaynor, Ashley Freeman and Lynsey Freeman -- who went a combined 6-for-10 from three-point range -- Gorman went on a 10-2 run and quickly closed to within one point on a Hoisington layup with 1:24 to go.

After Hoisington fouled out and Centennial's Raven Hicks converted two free throws to extend the Bulldogs' lead to 79-76, Lynsey Freeman made an exciting game even more dramatic by calmly draining a three-pointer with 56 seconds left to tie the game 79-79.

On the next possession, Centennial star junior Italee Lucas turned the ball over and Lynsey Freeman responded with yet another three-point basket from almost the same spot on the floor -- directly in front of the Gaels' screaming bench -- with 22 seconds left to put Gorman up, 82-79.

The Bulldogs got a layup from freshman Johnna Brown to cut the lead to 82-81, but Gaynor missed a free throw at the other end giving Centennial a chance at a last-second miracle. With time quickly running out, Lucas dribbled upcourt and attempted a 30-foot desperation shot at the buzzer which hit the front of the rim and just missed going in.

"I was like 'No, no, no,' " Krmpotich said of Lucas' shot. "It was lined up. That was a great spectator's game."

Krmpotich said the win gave her Gaels a psychological edge heading to Reno.

"I think it was more of a mental game," she said of the big victory over Centennial. "We've always beat them in zone and then they come back and beat us at state. So knowing that we beat them and they couldn't go was a mental thing for us. And that was the key."

With the Sunset Region winner now claiming the NIAA state crown for the last five years, Krmpotich knows that getting out of Las Vegas to play at state is usually harder than trying to beat the teams from Northern Nevada.

"Actually, state was easier than zone," Krmpotich said.

Gorman, ranked No. 6 in the West Region and No. 25 in the nation by the USA Today after capturing the crown, completed its dream season in proper fashion by winning its last 19 games. The Gaels went undefeated in Southwest Division play (12-0) as well against Nevada opponents (22-0) and suffered its only loss to Marin Catholic of California on Dec. 29 in Phoenix.

The Gaels also won the Gold Division championship of the Lady Wolves Holiday Tournament held Dec. 19-22 at Basic High School by beating Canyon View (Utah), 56-33, in the Gold Division championship game.

Krmpotich is thrilled with the development of the program, which has gone 83-6 over the past three years. In that span, 15 players have gone on to earn full scholarships to play basketball at various colleges.

"It takes time to build and once you win it one time, you're hungrier to win it the next time, so our next goal is obviously next year," Krmpotich said.

Along with seniors Hoisington, Godino and Lynsey and Ashley Freeman, junior Goff and sophomores Gayle and Gaynor, the roster included junior Brittany Bridges, sophomores Kiara Belen and Mary Maffey and freshmen Colleen Savage, Yahindra Edwards and Dannielle Diamant.

Krmpotich was helped on the bench by assistant coaches Mike Carter, Bert Gallagher and Kristen Pool.