Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

GHS Heads To State

If there were no three-point shot in high school basketball, Gurdon's Go-Devils would have won the class A regional tournament last week.

However, the shot exists and Stephens posted a 72-53 win over Gurdon in the finals Saturday night, Feb. 28.

The win came on the strength of 13 three-pointers the Roadrunners made in the contest, with seven made in the first eight minutes of the outing.

The Devils simply had no remedy for the lights-out shooting Stephens demonstrated.

Still, Gurdon's senior boys made it to the first round of the state tournament, which will be played at Flippin. Their first game will be against Salem's Greyhounds at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. A win nets the Devils a 5:30 date for Friday afternoon.

Salem is a member of the 2A North conference, along with Izard County, Mammoth Springs, Maynard and Melbourne.

In Saturday's finals, though, the Devils were simply outgunned. Stephens came out blazing from beyond the perimeter and missed very little.

The Centerpoint gym was packed to the rafters, with fans for both teams extremely vocal.

When the officials opened the game with the ball toss, the 'Runners got the tip but immediately turned it over.

Gurdon responded with the game's first basket, only to see the 'Runners begin their shooting display.

In fact, Stephens' first five buckets came from outside the arc as the 'Runners posted a 25-17 first quarter lead, adding two more treys before the opening eight minutes were over.

Swapping two pointers for threes put the Devils on the short end of the stick early, as Gurdon was able to score inside, while Stephens only scored four points in the paint.

The second quarter began with both defenses making life miserable for the opposing offense, and Stephens outscoring Gurdon 5-1 in the first 1:45.

Coach John Ware substituted freely, but it was simply Stephens' night to howl.

By halftime, the 'Runners had nailed nine three-pointers and held a 39-27 lead.

Gurdon needed a comeback in the worst way to get the second half underway. The Devils opened in a scoring zone, but cooled off quickly.

Stephens, though, was methodical and began working the clock, showing more patience with the lead.

It was not the game fans had expected it to be. Normally when these squads meet, the pace is frenetic, with each team pushing the ball down the court. Few, if any, expected to see a control game played.

With 2:10 showing on the clock in the third, the 'Runners were ahead 58-35. The period ended with Gurdon scoring the final three points to make it 58-38.

The final stanza opened with Gurdon needing help from any source possible and not getting it.

The officials let the two teams play and called relatively few fouls throughout the contest. Free throws, therefore, had no effect on the outcome of the game.

Still, the Devil spirit was never daunted and the team never quit trying to come back and win the game.

But, because of the lead Stephens had, Gurdon was forced to fire away and not always take the best shots.

However, it simply wasn't meant to be Gurdon's night as Stephens posted the 72-53 win.

The Devils, though, have nothing to be ashamed of as they played a solid game Saturday night. Overcoming 13 three-pointers would be more than any team could do on a given night.

And, simply by making it to the regional finals, Gurdon's senior boys earned yet another trip to the big dance in the state tourney.

GURDON 77

STAMPS 68

The Devils earned their berth in the finals with a 77-68 win over Stamps Friday night.

The win, though, was far from easy as the Yellow Jackets led at the end of the second and third periods.

These two teams were familiar with one another, neither having anything new to show the other in the winner-take-all contest.

When the squads hit the floor every player knew the winner would keep playing basketball while the loser went to spring sports.

The pace was normal, something just shy of warp speed, with hands everywhere the ball was.

Both teams crashed the boards knowing each rebound was vital to the outcome.

And, the officials took control of the game early in the period, letting the players on both sides know no trash talk would be tolerated.

Stamps was called for several fouls early, and trailed 15-14 at the end of one.

During the period, the Devils would drive and dish as they worked toward the basket.

The second quarter saw Gurdon open with a fast break and layup.

Early on, Stamps began working from the outside, while the Devils did their damage in the paint.

Every player on the court gave every ounce of effort they had to ensure the season continued.

Stamps took advantage of mistakes Gurdon players made as the Jackets went up 34-32 at the half.

The third quarter was a mirror-image of the first two as both squads raced up and down the court, fighting for every loose ball and rebound, while working for the best possible shot.

But the Jackets were the more consistent team offensively in the period as they led 51-50 at the buzzer.

Quarter four was all or nothing for both teams. A one-point lead meant zilch and wouldn't hold up for a victory.

Stamps found its range first, but was unable to pull away from the Devils, as emotions were running high on both sides of the court.

The beginning of the end came midway into the period as Gurdon's press began taking effect.

This occurred after Antonio Gatlin was hit with a technical foul at the 6:11 mark, giving Stamps four free throws and possession of the ball.

The Jackets converted three of the four shots to go up 57-54.

Shortly thereafter Gurdon's run and gun offense kicked into another gear one Stamps didn't have.

The Devils reeled off the next six points to take a 60-57 lead with 5:10 showing and never looked back as Gurdon took control of the game.

Stamps did try and rally, but found their wings had been pulled and they'd been grounded.

The mistakes made by the Jackets became fatal instead of costly as the Devils took full advantage, scoring off Stamps miscues.

For good measure, the Devils added a bucket at the buzzer though they led 75-68 at the time.

GURDON 74

CENTERPOINT 58

Hosting a regional tournament means nothing as the Centerpoint Knights learned Thursday night when the Devils posted a 74-58 win in the opening round of play.

The Knights found themselves skewered by their own lances as the Devils showed the newly-formed district how basketball is played in the 7A Central division.

Centerpoint was the taller team on the court and did lead 5-2 with 4:59 left in the first as scoring was difficult for both squads early.

However, Gurdon did wh