DIVISION I BOYS: Gaels cruise into state final

RENO — Bishop Gorman's boys basketball team had trouble converting easy buckets Thursday, missing four dunks in its Division I state semifinal game against Reno High.

But senior forward Byron Frohnen had no trouble making shots.

Frohnen was 10-for-10 from the field and scored 20 points as the Gaels rolled to a 70-39 victory at UNR's Lawlor Events Center to advance to today's state title game. Gorman will play Coronado, a 53-43 winner over Carson in the other semifinal, at 8:10 p.m.

"They were just leaving me open," Frohnen said. "So I had to take what the defense gave me. I had to attack the basket."

Frohnen usually isn't a scorer for the Gaels (24-7), instead helping distribute the ball and set up open teammates. But he found room to work in the high post against Reno's 2-3 zone. He also pushed the ball in transition and got open shots.

"He's been really good in the open court," Gorman coach Grant Rice said. "He can play one through four position-wise. He handles the ball as well as anyone. So when Byron gets the ball in the open court, we want him to attack. People think he's so unselfish, they expect him to pass the ball, so that left him open to go in for some layups tonight."

Thursday's game was never in doubt. Frohnen, Charles O'Bannon Jr. and Zach Collins each scored six first-quarter points as the Gaels took an 18-9 lead.

Frohnen and O'Bannon each scored eight points in the second quarter as Gorman stretched the advantage to 39-24, and the Gaels opened the second half on a 22-0 run.

"We made some adjustments at halftime," Rice said. "We weren't happy in the first half with our guys on defense. We weren't aggressive enough defensively. We talked about really getting after it on defense and really putting a body on someone."

Reno (20-8) had a 7:34 scoreless stretch that finally ended on a basket by Alex Tsaniff with 1:41 left in the third quarter that made the score 61-26. Those were the only points of the quarter for the Huskies, who were 1-for-8 from the field and turned the ball over seven times in the third.

"We wanted to put them away right from the jump and save our legs for tomorrow," Frohnen said.

Gorman went to its bench for the fourth quarter, and a dunk by Saxton Howard pushed the lead to 69-29 and triggered the running clock for the final 5:56.

"We went hard the first half, and then I thought our starters really played well in the third quarter," Rice said. "So it was nice for them to get some rest and sit that fourth quarter and cheer that second and third string on."

Frohnen added six rebounds and four assists. O'Bannon had 23 points, and the 7-foot Collins finished with 10 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots. Point guard Christian Popoola added 10 points and four assists for the Gaels.

"Everyone knows how good Zach is, so the focus is really to double-team Zach," Rice said. "When people double or triple Zach, you've got Chuck O'Bannon on the wing, you've got Byron as well and you've got Christian Popoola, who's doing a good job of distributing and getting to the basket or pulling up for that short runner."

Gorman is seeking its fifth consecutive state title. The Gaels have won six of the past seven large-school boys championships.

"It's an honor to be in the state championship again," Frohnen said. "We're trying to make it five in a row. We're trying to take care of business."

Contact prep sports editor Damon Seiters at 702-380-4587 or dseiters@reviewjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DamonSeiters