BRAD HORN/Nevada Appeal Carson's Adam Houghton scores during the Senator's game agaisnt the Douglas Tigers in Minden on Saturday.
MINDEN - Coming off a tough loss less than 24 hours before, coach Rob Streeter was interested in seeing how his Douglas High boys basketball team would respond against arch rival Carson on Saturday afternoon.
Sparked by a double-double performance from 6-foot-9 junior center Keith Olson, the Tigers responded with a 55-41 victory against Carson in the third-place game of the fifth annual Carson Valley Classic at Douglas High.
Olson had 15 points and 15 rebounds to go with seven blocked shots to lead the Tigers (3-4), who came back from a 61-46 loss against eventual tournament champion Faith Lutheran in the semifinals on Friday night.
"They're (Faith Lutheran) pretty good, but we got caught flat-footed on offense and we didn't play good team defense," Streeter said. "It was nice to see the kids respond today. I was proud of the effort they put forth."
Defense was a key because Carson only scored 41 points.
"We held them to 41 points," Streeter said. "Our team goal is 45 and we exceeded that. If we can keep other teams in the 40s, our offense is good enough that we're going to win more often than we lose."
Carson (1-2) never seemed to find any type of rhythm on offense, either from the outside or inside.
"There were some little things throughout that hurt us, but yes, we need to shoot better," Carson coach Bruce Barnes said. "We missed three consecutive layups in the third quarter, that would have put us ahead.
"They are big and we didn't get a lot of good looks inside, but when that happens, you have to be able to hit your jumpers, and we didn't do that."
The Senators had their bright spots. Jack Jacquet produced a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, plus he contributed three steals, two assists and two blocked shots. Jake Jeffers had 12 points and three steals. Adam Houghton chipped in with five points, three rebounds and two steals, plus he was named to the all-tournament team.
While Olson was named to the all-tournament team, Douglas was more than a one-man show in this game because sophomores Jordan Hadlock and Jeff Nady scored 12 and 10 points respectively.
Hadlock, a guard, converted a steal into a layup and then drew a charge on the defensive end that led to a Michael Gransberry basket, igniting a 12-2 run for Douglas to start the second quarter. Nady, a 6-6 forward, also hit a jumper while 6-4 junior Nate Whalin contributed an assist and tip-in during that stretch.
Whalin finished the game with six points, eight rebounds and six assists.
"Nate had his best game," Streeter said. "Last year, he was an interior type guy, but now we've moved him out to be more of a guard, and he's doing a good job."
Still, these early season games are geared toward preparing for Sierra League play in January and February, both coaches emphasized.
"I won't say these games right now are unimportant, but we look at them more as a learning tool to get ready for league," Barnes said. "The nice thing about this tournament, we got to see one team (Laguna Creek) that resembles Hug, and then we got a look at Douglas."
He added that the Senators play in three tournaments over the next 17 days, starting with the Rail City Classic in Sparks this coming weekend. Douglas returns to action in Galena's George Maldonado Memorial Tournament on Thursday.
"We want to get better," Streeter said. "That's what December is all about, getting ready for league. Today was great, this being Carson and all, but I'd gladly trade this for wins over Carson in those two league games we have coming up."
DAYTON 65, FALLON 53
Jordan Stokes scored 14 of his game-high 25 points in the first quarter to help put Dayton on track to its win against Fallon in the seventh-place game earlier in the morning.
The Dust Devils (4-2) took an 18-10 first-quarter lead and never looked back. They extended the lead to 35-25 at halftime and 52-39 at the end of three quarters.
One key for Dayton was free throw shooting, as the Dust Devils shot 19-for-22 from the line, just one day after a 13-for-31 performance in a 70-62 loss against Reed.
Travis Wood also scored 11 for Dayton and Erik Hopper had six on a pair of three-pointers.
Donnie Wood led Fallon with 21 points.
CHAMPIONSHIP
FAITH LUTHERAN 43, LAGUNA CREEK 39
The Crusaders from Las Vegas used a 16-6 run through the third quarter to take charge of a game that featured championship teams.
Faith Lutheran, a school with an enrollment of 625 students, is the defending Nevada 3A state champion and won the 2A state title in 2003. Laguna Creek (Elk Grove, Calif.) is California's defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division I champion.
Faith Lutheran is 8-0 so far this season. Laguna Creek saw its record fall to 3-1.
"We finished strong last season, but this is a new season, and so far the nice thing is we're 7-0 against Nevada 4A teams," Faith Lutheran coach Bret Walter said.
Faith Lutheran turned a 21-20 halftime lead into a 37-26 cushion at the end of the third quarter. The Crusaders led by as many as 13 early in the fourth.
Steve McCall scored 16 points to lead the Crusaders offensively. Tournament MVP Tyler Norman had 14 points, including a pair of three-pointers during the pivotal third quarter, plus he had two key defensive stops after Laguna Creek pulled to within 39-35 in the final three minutes.
Jason Keyes led all scorers with 21 points for Laguna Creek. Mark Clark, Shawn Underwood and Keyes were selected to the all-tournament team for the Cardinals.
Connor Maloney and McCall were also named to the all-tournament team for Faith Lutheran.
"We definitely enjoyed the tournament; we're glad we got the invitation to come here and play," Walter said. "It was nice to play teams we normally don't get to see, and being on the road like this gives our team a chance to come together."
n Contact Dave Price at dprice@nevadaappeal.com or call 881-1220.
Scores
Championship: Faith Lutheran 43, Laguna Creek 39
Third-place: Douglas 55, Carson 41
Seventh-place: Dayton 65, Fallon 53
PREP BASKETBALLBoys
Carson Valley Classic
Douglas 55, Carson 41
Carson1111136-41
Douglas14121712-55
Carson - Teeter 1 0-0 2, Valerius 1 2-5 4, Houghton 1 3-3 5, Jacquet 4 5-6 13, Wilson 1 0-0 3, Mandoki 1 0-0 2, Jeffers 5 2-4 12, Totals 14 12-18 41.
Douglas - Hadlock 5 1-1 12, Trowbridge 0 1-2 1, Gransberry 3 0-0 7, Whalin 3 0-0 6, Laird 1 0-0 2, Emm 1 0-0 2, Jeff Nady 5 0-0 10, Olson 7 1-4 15, Totals 25 3-7 55.
Three-pointers: Carson 1 (Wilson 1); Douglas 2 (Hadlock 1, Gransberry 1). Team fouls: Carson 14, Douglas 17. Fouled out: None. Technical fouls: None.