YERINGTON - Letitia Talbot got the ball rolling for the Yerington High School girls' basketball team on Saturday night. Then, when she had to leave the floor in the second half, the rest of the Lions picked up the slack to pull out a 49-45 "Winterfest" victory against Fernley.
Talbot poured in a game-high 28 points as Yerington surged out front, but the senior forward had to leave in order to prepare for her involvement as a queen candidate in the homecoming festivities - with her team clinging to a three-point lead.
"Our kids really hung together and showed a lot of pride in doing that," said Yerington coach Brett Edmunds, whose club improved to 17-6 for the season and beat Fernley for the fifth time. "I was really proud of their effort."
Amy Sceirine converted 4 of 6 free throws down the stretch and finished with nine points for the Lions. Rachel Remaley also gave a strong all-around performance, according to Edmunds.
"Rachel played one heck of a basketball game," Edmunds said. "Defense, rebounding, and just her presence on the floor ... she always seemed to be in the right place at the right time."
Talbot scored 15 points in the second quarter as Yerington took a 27-23 halftime lead.
"Letitia was huge, she was an absolute stud tonight, " Edmunds said. "She kept us in the game in the second quarter."
Natalia Gonzales scored 13 points to lead the Vaqueros, who currently lead Division I with a 6-0 record.
"Fernley is a quality basketball team," Edmunds said. "Give them credit, they played hard all the way to the end. (Coach Dave) Burns does a great job with them."
3A Boys' Basketball
Fernley 66, Yerington 55
A strong second-half push was the difference as the Vaqueros (14-7) captured a non-league victory over the host Lions (5-19).
Yerington led 27-23 at halftime, but Fernley came out firing after an unusually long halftime, outscoring the Lions 22-13 in the third quarter.
Matt Lambeth led Fernley with 14 points, while Joe Reeder contributed 12. Yerington was paced offensively by Josh Allen's 19 points, as five of his six field goals were 3-pointers. Michael Keats, who had 11, was the only other Yerington player in double figures.
This next week will be a big test for Yerington which is only one game ahead of Dayton in the Division II playoff race. The Lions host Pershing County on Wednesday, then Dayton on Friday in a pair of games that could well determine their playoff fate. Both games are at 7:30 p.m.
Fernley hosts Mineral County at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
WRESTLING
Mallory Bozeman (119 pounds) and Jack Brooks (145) pinned their opponents in the championship round to supply the points that lifted Carson High School to team championship honors at the Northern 4A J.V. zone wrestling tournament at McQueen High School.
Javier Vega (135) and Marty Lewis (140) also won individual titles for the Senators, who edged Jacobsen (China Spring) by a 74-72 margin for first-place in the team standings. Galena finished third.