4A BOYS: Stanley gives Gorman big boost
RENO — Bishop Gorman sophomore Ronnie Stanley might not have logged that many minutes since the fall, when he started at offensive tackle for the Gaels’ football team.
But the 6-foot-7-inch, 275-pound Stanley made the most of his opportunity Thursday, scoring 14 points off the bench to help Gorman rally for a 65-52 win over Bishop Manogue in the Class 4A state semifinals at Lawlor Events Center.
“Ronnie and some of our sophomores haven’t gotten the time this year they could just because we’ve given the seniors a shot,” Gorman coach Grant Rice said. “But we kind of saw a mismatch. When it wasn’t working at first, we decided to go with the big guy and it paid off.”
Gorman (29-2) plays Canyon Springs (26-3) in the title game at 8 p.m. Friday.
Stanley added six rebounds, four blocked shots and two assists for the Gaels. More important, he helped change the flow of the game for Gorman, which trailed 23-15 with 7:27 to go in the second quarter.
Stanley had six points in the final 5:39 of the first half, and Gorman went on a 17-1 run to take control of the game.
“He’s got such soft hands and such good moves under there,” Rice said. “And the thing I was so impressed with with Ronnie was he gave us such a lift defensively.”
Stanley even had a drive and dish for an assist and took a charge against Manogue’s leading scorer, Bobby Hunter.
“I get my minutes here and there,” said Stanley, who played 19 minutes Thursday. “But I just got a lot of time. I was trying to be strong out there and just keep the ball away from the other team.”
Manogue jumped to a 12-2 lead to start the game, and Hunter had nine points in the first quarter as the Miners led 21-15.
But Taylor Spencer came off the bench to lock down Hunter, who had only one point in the second quarter as Gorman took a 38-28 lead at the break. Hunter was 3-for-12 from the field the rest of the game.
Gorman wasn’t able to put Manogue away until late as the Gaels committed 18 turnovers, including eight in the third quarter.
Manogue fought back to within four on a basket by Ethan Dillard that made it 55-51 with 6:38 to go. Miners point guard Niles Lujan had a chance to cut the lead to two but missed two free throws with 4:21 to play, and Gorman closed the game on a 10-1 run.
“They’re a really solid team, one of the best teams we’ve played all year,” Rice said. “And we’ve played a national schedule this year.”
Anson Winder led the Gaels with 15 points, and Johnathan Loyd scored 13.
Anson Winder led the Gaels with 15 points, and Johnathan Loyd scored 13.
Hunter had 18 points and Lujan 15 for Manogue.
