BRAD HORN/Nevada Appeal Carson's Kevin Brush battles for the ball during the second half against Wooster on Friday.
It may have been Friday the 13th, but rather than having bad luck, the Senators boys' basketball team turned its match with Wooster into a slasher flick.
Carson played the part of Jason Vorhees and sliced and diced its way through the Colts, 89-41, Friday at Morse Burley Gym.
Things got downright scary early as the motivated Senators swarmed all over the Colts and led 20-9 after the first quarter and took a 44-15 advantage into halftime.
It was a much different looking Carson team that lost 54-42 to Damonte Ranch last Tuesday. Ten Senators scored and were led by Bryon Wilson with 17 points, who buried five 3-pointers.
"I was just feeling it," the 5-foot-11 senior guard said. "It was fun out there. When you have fun, it all comes together."
Senior Kevin Brush added 15 points, junior Zach Weismann notched 13, forward Jake Jeffers scored 12 and senior guard Adam Houghton chipped in 10 for the Senators, who improved to 7-9 overall and 1-2 in Sierra League play.
Wooster, which was led by Darian Andrews and Leni Iosua, each of whom scored eight points, fell to 4-14, 0-4.
"They shot a lot better than we did," first-year Colts coach Kenny Demick said. "I think we're young and need to build the program. That's what I'm doing. I've inherited a little and plan on making it a lot."
It was no accident Carson played with more urgency against Wooster than it did against Damonte Ranch.
"I had a long discussion with the team and picked five guys who showed the most energy in practice (to start the game) and they delivered," said Carson coach Bruce Barnes. "We shot the ball with that kind of energy and had defensive intensity. It was the same shots we missed last time (against the Mustangs)."
Brush and Weismann combined for 15 of Carson's 20 first-quarter points and along with the rest of the team never let up during the game - even when it took a 50-point lead (89-39) on Jeffers' bucket with under a minute to go.
"The main thing is we needed to come out with energy," Brush said of his team's intensity. "We know we can do it - it's just a matter of doing it. We had a different lineup. It seemed to add a spark."
It was more like a fire.
Even though the Colts picked up their own intensity in the second quarter, they could not begin to match the Senators' frenetic pace.
Wilson drained a 3-pointer to give Carson its largest lead - 31-9 - lead with 5 minutes, 6 seconds to go in the first half. Forward Rob Valerius - who scored seven points - put the Senators up by 30 (44-14) with a free throw going into halftime.
After a Brush basket the Colts went on a 7-0 mini-run to draw within 61-30 late in the third, but the Senators remained relentless and another trey from Wilson put them up 76-34 with 3:54 to go.
Barnes credited Wilson for stepping up his play since returning from Tennesse after a two-year absence (he played for Carson as a freshman).
"He's just starting to feel comfortable and we've grown comfortable with him on the floor," Barnes said of Wilson. "He's overcome a lot of adversity in his life."
Next up for Carson is a Tuesday home game with arch-rival Douglas. The winner of that game will receive five points in the Sierra Nevada Cup presented by Les Schwab.
"It won't be that easy with Douglas," Barnes said. "It's a big game. They have a lot of size and are playing with a lot of confidence. We have to shoot the ball well and minimize the height advantage they have on us."
BOYS
CARSON 89, WOOSTER 41
WOOSTER 9 14 16 11--41
CARSON 20 24 17 28--89
WOOSTER (4-14, 0-4)
Iosua 4 0-0 8, Andrews 3 1-4 8, Tautolo 3 0-1 7, Mendoza 2 0-0 4, Ahonima 2 0-0 4, Mason 1 2-3 4, Deomano 1 0-0 2, Brown 1 0-1 2, Spang 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 3-11 41. 3-pointers: Tautolo 1. Total fouls: 19. Fouled out: Iousa. Technicals: None.
CARSON (7-9, 1-2)
Wilson 5 2-2 17, Brush 6 1-3 15, Weismann 6 0-1 13, Jeffers 5 2-3 12, Houghton 4 0-0 10, Mandoki 4 1-6 9, Valerius 3 1-2 7, Teeter 1 0-3 2, Greenlee 1 0-0 2, Rutledge 0 2-2 2. Totals: 35 9-22 89. 3-pointers: Wilson 5, Houghton, Brush 2, Weismann 1. Total fouls: 19. Fouled out: Weismann. Technical fouls: None.
GIRLS
CARSON 59, WOOSTER 34
WOOSTER 5 8 13 8--34
CARSON 18 14 19 8--59
WOOSTER (2-12, 1-3)
Harden 4 2-2 14, Ming 4 2-2 10, Johnson 2 0-2 4, Hobbs 1 1-1 3, Morales 1 1-2 3. Totals: 12 6-9 34. 3-pointers: Harden 4. Total fouls: 14. Fouled out: None. Technical fouls: None.
CARSON (7-10, 3-0)
Nunez 3 3-4 11, Brekken 3 1-2 7, Evans 3 1-1 7, Burroughs 3 3-4 7, C. Works 3 0-0 6, Macquarie 2 1-1 5, H. Works 1 2-4 4, Vega 1 0-0 2, Dodge 1 0-0 2, Kilty 0 2-2 2, Rankl 1 0-0 2, McSweeney 0 2-6 2, King 1 0-0 2. Totals: 22 12-20 59. 3-pointers: Nunez, Burroughs 1. Total fouls: 8. Fouled out: None: Technical fouls: None.