GORMAN TOURNEY: Stanley, Gaels rally to tournament title

Ronnie Stanley doesn’t always get a ton of minutes on a stacked Bishop Gorman boys basketball team.

But the sophomore post player made his presence felt Saturday night.

The 6-foot-7-inch, 275-pound Stanley had 10 of his 12 points in the second half to help the Gaels rally for a 61-54 victory over Bishop McNamara (Md.) in the championship game of the Bishop Gorman Holiday Classic.

“We just had a feeling that Ronnie was going to have a good matchup against their big guy, (Brandon) Coleman, who’s also a football player,” Gorman coach Grant Rice said. “We’ve got a lot of guys on any given night that can come out and play.”

Stanley, a starting offensive lineman on Gorman’s state championship football team, also pulled down five rebounds.

“He has really good touch, a really good feel for the game and his footwork is so good,” Rice said. “(Football) coach (Tony) Sanchez, that’s why he put him at left tackle with those quick feet. He got those quick feet playing basketball. He was just really, really good tonight.”

Gorman trailed 26-21 at the half, and struggled offensively against McNamara’s zone defense. The Gaels were 8-for-24 from the field in the first half. Taylor Spencer had 11 points in the first half to help keep it close.

“He came out and hit three 3-pointers in the first half and kept us in it,” Rice said. “Offensively, we weren’t really in sync the first half.”

Gorman inserted Stanley into the post to start the second half. That helped open things up for seniors Johnathan Loyd and Anson Winder, who each scored 12 points after halftime.

Loyd didn’t score in the first half and missed several minutes with an injured right ankle. He finished with seven assists and three steals and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

“He’s such a tough kid,” Rice said. “And bottom line about John Loyd, he’s a winner. No matter what, he’s a winner. He’s going to make some college very happy next year, because he helps you win games.”

Winder had 16 points and Spencer scored 14 for the Gaels. Marcus Thornton led McNamara with 20 points.

Faith Lutheran 51, Spring Valley 50 — At Gorman, Sam Done hit three free throws with 2.5 seconds left to give the Crusaders the victory in the Silver Bracket championship game.

Done’s foul shots completed a comeback that Faith Lutheran coach Bret Walter called “one of the best I’ve been a part of.”

The Crusaders trailed by as many as 21 in the first half, and Spring Valley held a 39-22 advantage at the break.

Faith Lutheran, which defeated Desert Pines 76-50 in the semifinals, started the game hitting 2-for-19 from the field.

“It came real easy this afternoon against Desert Pines,” Walter said. “Nobody seemed to be able to miss. Then we come out tonight, and nobody could put it in the basket.”

Faith Lutheran used a 14-0 second-half run to cut the lead to five at 43-38 on a pair of free throws by D’Khari Hicks.

The Crusaders tied the game at 46 on a long 3-pointer by Done with 4:11 to go. The teams combined for only two field goals for the rest of the game.

Spring Valley took a 50-48 lead on a bucket by Anton Stallworth with 15 seconds to play.

After a timeout with 7.6 seconds, Faith Lutheran got the ball to Done, who was fouled as he hoisted a desperation 3-pointer from 25 feet.

“So far this year we’ve gotten down a few times and battled back to get in the game, but we weren’t ever able to get quite over the edge at the end,” Walter said. “I think they got rewarded for hard work tonight.”

Done had 21 points, and Brett Lubbe had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Crusaders. Lubbe was named Silver Bracket MVP.

Stallworth scored 12 points, and Corey Clement had 11 points and nine rebounds for Spring Valley.

Faith Lutheran 76, Desert Pines 50 — At Gorman, Greg Thomas scored 19 points as the Crusaders rolled past the Jaguars.

Done added 15 points, Lubbe put in 13 and Joe Portaro had 10.

Tyler Larson led Desert Pines with 20 points.

Spring Valley 85, Granite Hills (Calif.) 74 — At Gorman, Trey Whitley had 29 points and Clement scored 28 to lead the Grizzlies to the semifinal win.

Torrance North (Calif.) 97, Foothill 96 — At Gorman, Evan Roquemore had a game-high 34 points, but Torrance North edged the Falcons.

Ty Copeland added 16 points for Foothill.