Sunset boys wait for hearing officer’s decision

The Sunset Region boys basketball tournament is in the hands of independent hearing officer Pat Dolan.
 

Dolan heard arguments for more than two hours Thursday on Western’s appeal of the decision to forfeit four boys basketball games due to the use of an ineligible player.
 

Western dropped from second place to fifth place in the Southwest League as a result of the forfeits and missed qualifying for the playoffs by one game.
 

The Sunset Region playoffs have been held up pending the outcome of the appeal.
 

“Mr. Dolan is well aware of the time schedule we’re under,” said NIAA executive director Eddie Bonine. “He’ll get it done when he gets it done.”
 

Bonine, representatives from Western and representatives from the three schools — Pahrump Valley, Durango and Bonanza — to which Western forfeited games participated in the hearing, which was held by telephone.
 

Western self-reported on Feb. 5 that it had used fifth-year senior Ravon Robinson in four league wins. The school appealed to

Bonine, claiming Robinson didn’t contribute to the victories.
 

Bonine denied the appeal on Feb. 10 and Western appealed that decision late Tuesday afternoon.
 

“The hearing officer made it a closed hearing,” Bonine said. “Spring Valley did not participate. Only the teams that were directly affected by the forfeits were involved.”
 

Spring Valley could be indirectly involved as the Grizzlies are the Southwest’s No. 4 seed and could be bumped from the tournament if any of the forfeits are overturned.
 

The Sunset tournament was scheduled to begin Wednesday, but games were postponed Wednesday and again Thursday. The earliest the quarterfinals could be held would be Friday, and that’s only if Dolan’s decision comes early.
 

“We probably need to know no later than noon,” Bonine said. “Mr. Dolan said he’d communicate directly with Ms. (Pam) Sloan (the Clark County School District’s athletic director).”
 

If the Sunset quarterfinals are held Friday, the semifinals would follow Saturday at Palo Verde at 4 and 6 p.m., and the championship would be held Monday at Palo Verde at 6:30 p.m.
 

The delay in the Sunset tournament also has caused a ripple effect for small school tournaments.
 

Desert Oasis, currently scheduled to host a quarterfinal game in the Sunset tourney, is hosting the Class 2A boys and girls semifinals on Friday and the six small-school championship games Saturday.

 

The Class 2A games all have been moved up two hours on Friday with the White Pine-Lincoln County girls scheduled to tip off at 1 p.m.

 

If the Sunset quarterfinals aren’t held until Saturday, the schedule of small-school title games, currently set to start at noon, would be moved up by two hours.

 

“We’re trying to be proactive,” Bonine said.