Pressing the point: Gaels win tourney with defense
Bishop Gorman girls basketball coach Kevin Nixon was anxious to see how his team would fare against a taller opponent.
If Saturday is any indication, the undersized Gaels will be just fine.
Gorman’s small-ball tactics pressured Castle View (Colorado) into 24 turnovers, and the host Gaels ran away with a 52-35 victory in the championship game of the Las Vegas Invitational.
“That’s the biggest team we’ve played this year, so that was good for us to see how would we respond, especially with rebounds and just playing bigger teams,” Nixon said. “I thought we handled it very well. I thought we used our speed to the advantage.”
Skylar Jackson had 12 points and seven rebounds, Shaira Young finished with 12 points and four rebounds, and Caira Young added 12 points for the Gaels (6-0).
Castle View’s starting post players stand 6 feet, 3 inches and 6-1 but were rendered ineffective by the Gaels’ active defense. Gorman held the Sabercats to 31 percent shooting from the field and outrebounded the visitors 33-27.
India Cole, a 5-11 reserve, led Castle View with 10 points, all in the first quarter.
“We wanted to work on their best ball-handler,” Nixon said. “We kind of disrupted their offense by taking it out of her hands, and I think that really helped us get the momentum in the game, especially on the defensive end.”
Gorman led 26-17 at halftime and withstood a burst by the Sabercats early in the third quarter before pulling away. Caira and Shaira Young combined for 14 of the Gaels’ 26 second-half points.
“We got them free on some stuff and they hit some great shots,” Nixon said. “They got to the free-throw line. They did a great job on the offensive end in the second half of extending our lead.”
Quinece Hatcher’s basket gave the Gaels a 38-29 lead at the end of the third quarter, and Jackson’s baseline jumper put Gorman ahead 44-29 with 5:43 remaining.
“We’re learning. We’re starting to build better chemistry right now,” Nixon said. “They’re starting to know what I want as a coach, so I’m starting to see it come together. We still have a lot of things to work on, but just getting games under our belt, as a coach, is really what I wanted to see.”
Contact reporter David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.
