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HOLIDAY CLASSIC: Surplus talent helps Gaels’ junior varsity succeed

Bishop Gorman’s boys basketball program has not been short of skilled players recently. Sometimes there’s an overload of talent, which forces coach Grant Rice to send players to the junior varsity just to get playing time.

That’s the case with underclassmen Ryan Kiley and Jamal Bey, who appear to be next in line for the powerhouse Gaels.

Kiley had 23 points, and Bey scored 17 Saturday as Gorman’s JV topped The Meadows, 66-55 to win the Lake Mead Holiday Classic. It’s the third consecutive year the Gaels have won the tournament, which features a mix of varsity programs in the state, ranging from Division I-A to Division IV.

“That’s the future, these guys here on the (junior varsity) team,” Gorman JV coach Mike Carter said. “It’s all a learning process at this level, and they came prepared today.”

Kiley, a 6-foot-4-inch sophomore, scored 16 of his 23 points in the first half and added six rebounds and two blocks for the Gaels, who led 33-28 at halftime.

“Ryan really stepped up in this game,” Carter said. “He struggled a little bit offensively in the early games, but this game, he came to life. He had more intensity, more enthusiasm. He had a little fire under him.”

Max Histake’s 10 points ans seven rebounds in the first quarter helped The Meadows take a 14-13 first-quarter lead.

But the Gaels started the second quarter on an 8-0 run, and never trailed again.

Bey, a 6-5 freshman, also had six rebounds and was selected the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

“Jamal should be on the varsity right now,” Carter said. “He’s a varsity player. He’s in a system with eight seniors, guys who already know the system. But he’s good enough to play on varsity. When he’s a senior, he’s going to be the best player in the state.”

Hisatake led the Mustangs with 25 points, 15 rebounds and three steals before fouling out late in the fourth. Teammate Jake Epstein added 20 points, including 14 in the second half, for the Mustangs, who also got six points and six assists from Ethan Fridman.

The Meadows (2-1) shot just 11 of 24 from the free-throw line.

The Gaels, whose varsity opened the season ranked No. 4 in USA Today’s Super 25 rankings, will lose two consensus top-10 players in Stephen Zimmerman and Chase Jeter to graduation next season. But the future still looks bright for the Gaels.

“Nobody has really told us anything yet, but we expect to get big and be a power down low,” Bey said. “We work together a lot (and) we always keep each other hyped.”

The Meadows’ Hisatake and Fridman, and Gorman’s Kiley and Bey were named to the all-tournament team. Among those joining them were: Boulder City’s Tyler Newby and Trenton Carmell, Moapa Valley’s Andrew Huerta, Calvary Chapel’s Killian Diers and Adelson School’s Jake Buchman.

Word of Life 73, Haileybury College (Australia) 47 — Elijah Hoye scored a game-high 30 points to lead the Eagles by Haileybury College.

Word of Life held a 41-19 halftime advantage.

Southern Australia #2 44 Lake Mead 35 — Southern Australia outscored Lake Mead, 11-2 in the overtime to pull out the win after losing an eight-point halftime lead.

Dylan Graham scored 18 points for Lake Mead.

Calvary Chapel 67, Southern Australia #1 49 — Matthew Harney led all scorers with 20 points to lift the Lions over Southern Australia.

Killian Diers had 18 points for Calvary Chapel, which led 57-32 after three quarters.

Moapa Valley 64, Adelson School 51 — Jay Mortensen poured in 22 points to help the Pirates top the Lions.

Dalton Gordon added 17 points for Moapa Valley.

Rom Izkovich had 20 points, and Jake Buchman scored 12 for Adelson School, which trailed only 42-39 after three quarters.

Boulder City 56, West Wendover 52 — The Eagles defeated the Wolverines.

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