BRAD HORN/Nevada Appeal Carson's Zach Weismann gets fouled during the Senator's game against Spanish Springs on Friday. Weismann led all scorers with 34 points.
Without question, the Carson Senators might be the most up and down team in Northern Nevada.
How else do you explain scoring seven points in one quarter and making James Naismith turn over in his grave, and then scoring 28 in the next quarter and looking like world beaters?
Carson doesn't know how to do things easy - ever - but as we all know it's the end result that counts the most.
Buoyed by a career-high 34 points by Zach Weismann, 18 by Paul Cagle and an effective pressure defense, the Senators outlasted Spanish Springs 83-75 in overtime Friday night to advance to the finals of the 30th annual Capital City Classic presented by the Carson Lions Club.
The Senators, 4-2, will host perennial powerhouse Hug today at 4 in the championship game.
The overtime was all Carson.
The Senators got two buckets from Will Holbert in the first 1:07, and then Matt Rutledge, Cagle and Rob Valerius combined to drain seven of eight free throws in the final 2:02 of the extra period to send the Senators to the finals.
"I think we played well the first quarter," Barnes said. "We played just as bad in the second quarter. I think we got tired. I think we got complacent. It was hard to get us jump-started again."
It was the helter-skelter style of defense that worked well early that resurfaced and caused Spanish Springs problems in the second half. The Cougars turned the ball over 11 times, leading to 14 Carson points.
The Cougars led 51-38 with 4:20 left in the third quarter. When the smoke cleared, Carson had put together a 22-4 run to grab a 60-55 lead, and Weismann did most of the damage.
His 3-pointer, one of five on the night, got the barrage going. A putback by Cagle made it 51-43 with 3:32 left. After Zach Beebe drove the lane for a score, Cagle scored on a lay-up and then Weismann scored with 1:56 left and then converted a Cougar mistake into another 3-pointer to make it 53-50.
Daniel Lide stopped the bleeding briefly with a bucket, but Cagle scored six points in the final 90 seconds of the quarter and Weismann added another basket.
"Zach has the ability to turn it on," Barnes said. "That group we had on the floor in the third quarter kept coming in waves and got them on their heels. The second group did a great job."
Weismann, who scored 14 of Carson's 21 in the third quarter, was happy with his performance, and said that defense was the key in the comeback.
"Our offense feeds off our defense," said Weismann, who was 10-for-14 from the floor unofficially. "We all stepped it up and forced them into turnovers and turned them into points.
"I'm finding my shot. It's been going good."
Weismann made two free throws to give Carson a 67-60 lead with 5:44 left in the game, but the Cougars clawed back with a 7-1 run to close to 68-67 with 3:38 left in regulation, as Kyle Hernandez had five points in a two-minute span.
Buckets by Valerius extended Carson's lead to 72-67, but Spanish Springs rallied to tie at 72-all on a tip by Logan Dinopoli, a basket by Thomas Perkins and a free throw by Taylor Marchbanks, the latter coming with 40 seconds left
Carson had a chance to win the game in regulation with 14 seconds left, but Rutledge was whistled for traveling with :06 left on the clock.
"We were trying to set up a high-low play with (Rob) Valerius and Cagle," Barnes said. "We had Cagle open underneath."
Carson started the game strong, scoring seven of the game's first nine points and 16 of the first 21. The Senators led 21-8 after a Weismann 3-pointer, but Spanish Springs went on a 14-4 run to end the quarter, cutting the lead to 25-22.
The Senators wilted under Spanish Springs' pressure, getting a dose of their own medicine. The Cougars knocked down 10 of 13 shots from the floor compared to 1 for 8 for Carson and built a 13-point halftime lead, 45-32.
HUG 64, REED 54
The Raiders outplayed Hug for much of the first half, but the Hawks, 8-2, used a 13-2 run to start the fourth quarter to take control of the game.
Leading 47-40 after three quarters, Riley Rowe knocked down two 3-point field goals and Eric Luna drained a free throw to make it 54-40 with 6:14 left in the game.
After Travis Petersen scored from the inside, Luna got to the basket and was fouled. He hit both free throws, and Armon Johnson converted a Reed turnover and a Reed missed layup into two successful lay-ups to make it 60-42. Hug got the lead to 64-46, but Reed made it interesting with eight straight points in the final 1:50, and Hug coach Brian Voyles rushed his starters back in.
Johnson led the Hawks with 18 points followed by Rowe 17 and James Blackford 13.
Bryce Elwood scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half to lead Reed. Petersen contributed 12 and Alex McKenzie scored 11, all in the first half.
FERNLEY 41, SPARKS 36
The Vaqueros outscored the Railroaders 18-9 in the fourth quarter to emerge with a narrow win.
Jacob Lehman led Fernley with 11, while Travis McCurry, Kevin Leestman and Jake Lavoie added six apiece.
Zach Quilici led Sparks with 11.
CENTRAL 60, SPRING CREEK 39
Central built a 20-point halftime lead and cruised to an easy win over the Spartans.
Paolo Mancasola scored 10 of his 12 in the first half and Billy Cochran added eight of his 13 in the first 16 minutes. John Schulze led the way with 15, nine coming in the second half.
Mikey Adams led Spring Creek with 11 and Andrew Brunson added seven.