ROUNDUP: Stanley powers Gorman girls past Mount Miguel

Bishop Gorman girls basketball coach Sheryl Krmpotich has seen an enormous amount of potential in Raychel Stanley as the freshman post anchors an inexperienced bunch.

“She’s a dominant force,” Krmpotich said. “I don’t think she realizes her ability to dominate the paint. Once she realizes she can get the ball every time and score, she’s going to be unstoppable.”

On Monday, the 6-foot-1-inch Stanley previewed how good the Gaels’ inside game can be.

Stanley scored 15 of her 17 points in the second half to propel Gorman past visiting Mount Miguel (Calif.), 54-41.

“Sometimes you’re just pulling plays and you don’t know what’s going to happen,” Krmpotich said of her squad, which suffered through 18 turnovers. “They’ll do the 'wow, oh my gosh that’s great’ play, then the 'what was that?’”

Confidently working the ball inside and out, the Gaels fed Stanley the ball down low with precision.
Stanley went 5 of 6 from the field and scored 10 points in the third quarter to lead Gorman on a 12-4 spurt that lasted just a shade more than five minutes. Her basket with 22 second remaining in the period gave the Gaels their largest advantage at 43-26.

“When Raychel Stanley demands a ball like she does and can, we’re more effective,” Krmpotich said. “She’s got a left hand, she’s got a right hand, and she’s working on a jumper. She has to be a scorer for us.” 

Stanley wasn’t alone, though.

The Gaels (11-7) outscored the Matadors 17-8 in the first quarter and forced 15 turnovers in the first half with a relentless defense.

Senior April Rivers played a key role in defending the offensive glass. The 5-6 guard contributed nine points, 10 rebounds, and three steals for Gorman.

Rivers’ put back with 8.3 seconds remaining in the second quarter helped build a 27-16 halftime lead.

Junior forward Sandria Bolden added 11 points for the Gaels.

Zaria Branch paced Mount Miguel (10-8) with 17 points, and teammate Deijah Blanks chipped in 14 points.

Third-ranked Gorman will travel to top-ranked Centennial a 5 p.m. on Tuesday in a battle of undefeated Southwest League foes.

“Centennial is one of the top teams in the nation,” Krmpotich said. “They’re physical, they have a great inside-out game. We better bring our A game and take care of the basketball. They use their defense to make their best offense.”

Centennial 73, Bishop’s School (Calif.) 49 — At Gorman, Jada Brown had 18 points to lift the Bulldogs past the Knights.

Brown, who has signed with Kansas, went 8-for-11 from the field for Centennial, which forced 23 turnovers.

Breanna Workman supplied 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs, who shot 56.6 percent (17-for-30) from the field in the first half to build a 35-26 halftime lead. Centennial used a 10-2 spurt to start the third quarter to pull away.

Devon Roeper paced the Knights with 20 points.
 
Sunrise Mountain 53, Spring Valley 41 — At Spring Mountain, Brittany Veal scored 13 points to lift the Miners past the Grizzlies.

Ayla Diaz  and Jenae Yurek-Carhee each had 10 points for Sunrise Mountain, which outscored Spring Valley 34-23 in the second half to pull away.

Krystal McKnight and Jessica Rafay had eight points each for the Grizzlies.

BOYS

Rancho 57, Agassi Prep 54 — At Rancho, Xavier Taylor had 14 rebounds and hit a key free throw in the closing seconds to help the Rams beat the Stars.

Jawaan James scored six of his 17 points in the fourth quarter for Rancho, as the Rams outscored Agassi Prep 17-7 to secure the win.

Josiah Timpson also scored 17 for Rancho.

Steven Jones led the Stars with 22 points, and teammate Kobe Williams scored 10.

Sunrise Mountain 77, Spring Valley 55 — At Spring Valley, Shmarlio Tolliver had 22 points to help the Miners top the Grizzlies.

Zane Gibbs added 16 points, and teammate Jovon Kitley scored 15 for Sunrise Mountain, which outscored Spring Valley 26-11 in the third quarter to pull away.

Terrell Lee led the Grizzlies with 17 points. Travis Walton (13 points), Tony Winter (12 points) and Brant Berglund (10 points) also scored in double figures for Spring Valley.

Ribet Academy (Calif.) 65, Durango 57 — At Bishop Gorman, Brandon Robinson scored 19 of his 30 points in the second half to spring the Fighting Frogs past the Trailblazers.

Bono Zekan had 25 points and six rebounds for Ribet Academy, which used a 14-4 run between the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth to pull away from Durango. 

Tyler Watts came off the bench to score a team-high 22 points for the Trailblazers, which got 13 points and seven rebounds from Da’jon Streeter.

Durango led only once in the game. Watt’s layup gave the Trailblazers a short-lived 27-25 advantage at the 27.3 second mark of the second quarter.