Gorman boys hang on to top Sierra Vista

With its athletic guards, led by senior Kylel Coleman, Bishop Gorman was clearly at its best pushing the tempo Wednesday night.

And with his team clinging to a two-point lead in the final minute, Coleman put his athleticism on display.

Coleman slapped the ball from a Sierra Vista ball-handler, took a pass from a teammate in the open floor and delivered a reverse dunk to put the Gaels up by four on the way to a 74-70 home victory.

“That’s a tough team,” Mountain Lions coach Kent Johnson said. “Their guards are so good, and they have so much team speed. They’re tough to put any pressure on them because they’re so quick.”

The win avenged an overtime loss to Sierra Vista (22-6, 10-3 Southwest League). Gorman (19-4, 12-1) has a one-game lead over Durango for first place in the Southwest.

“Once we start playing fast, it’s pretty hard to stop us,” Coleman said. “That’s our main strength.”

That desire to push the ball and go for the exciting play was nearly Gorman’s undoing in the fourth quarter.

The Gaels led by eight with 5:19 to go after a 3-pointer by Czar Robotham. But six Gorman turnovers in the fourth quarter, including two on alley-oop attempts, helped Sierra Vista get back in the game.

“We’ve got really good guards, and what makes them so good is they are willing to take chances at times,” Gaels coach Grant Rice said. “But then that also once in a while can come back to bite us. But for every questionable decision, we made some really good plays, as well.”

Gorman led 66-63 when Sierra Vista sophomore Viko Noma’aea hit a pull-up 3-pointer to tie the game with 1:27 to go. But Coleman hit two free throws, then came up with the steal and slam, and the Mountain Lions got no closer than four the rest of the way.

Sierra Vista made the fourth-quarter charge without senior leader Ray Tapusoa, who fouled out with 7:24 to play. Tapusoa picked up his fourth foul on a reach-in near the top of the key, then slammed the ball to the flour and was whistled for a technical.

“That’s huge,” Johnson said. “All year long, Ray has been a guy that we rely on to generate offense, to settle things down. We put the ball in his hands and expect him to take control.”

Freshman Shabazz Muhammad came off the bench to lead Gorman with 22 points and seven rebounds. Coleman added 19 points, and Johnathan Loyd had 13 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Akeem Smith led Sierra Vista with 17 points. Dallin Molina added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Mountain Lions.