Appeal Staff Report
Coming off a tough loss the night before, the Dayton High boys basketball team bounced back to close out its Northern 3A regular season with an important 58-51 victory at home against Sparks on Saturday afternoon.
The Dust Devils (17-8, 10-4) staged a second half comeback to finish in a first-place tie with Incline and earn the No. 2 seed for the Northern 3A Regional Tournament. Incline was awarded the No. 1 seed by virtue of its two regular season wins over Dayton.
Dayton is scheduled to open in the tournament semifinals on Friday against either the No. 3 or No. 6 seeded teams.
Coach T.W. Cunningham was pleased to see the Dust Devils come back from their 48-46 loss against Fernley on Friday night. Especially against a Sparks team that rode a seven-game win streak and a share of first-place into Dayton.
"To bounce back today was big," Cunningham said. "I was proud of the effort they gave against a team that has been playing well.
"We came out and played good zone defense in the third quarter, and offensively, we did a better job passing the ball and a better job on our execution."
Dayton's two big men, 6-foot-5 Hans Meyer and 6-4 Tannar Wood, led the way with 19 and 14 points respectively.
Julaney Parker also provided a spark on both defense and offense coming off the bench, according to Cunningham.
YERINGTON 76, FERNLEY 66
Spurred on by some free throw sharpshooting and a balanced offense led by seniors Marcus Kness and Casey Wildermuth, Yerington (21-8, 9-5) rallied for a home win and the league's No. 4 seed for the regional tournament.
Trailing 36-30 at halftime, Yerington used a 24-17 run through the third quarter to take charge of the contest. The Lions helped their own cause at the free throw line, where they shot 4-for-5 in the third quarter and 7-for-7 in the fourth.
Kness led all scorers with 24 points, 17 of which came in the second half, while Wildermuth scored 20. Burke Bristol also contributed 15 points and Josh Fitzpatrick 11 to give the Lions scorers in double figures.
"We played really good the second half," said coach Daron Wildermuth, whose Lions snapped a three-game losing streak. "We just played better defense and attacked the rim better. We got good penetration from the guards, who were able to kick the ball back out for open shots."
Yerington will open in the regional tournament on Thursday against a still-to-be-determined opponent. Coach Wildermuth said it didn't matter who the opponent is.
"At least we're in it," he said. "We've beaten everyone in the league except for Dayton. Anybody can beat anybody at any given time."
GIRLS
DAYTON 76, SPARKS 46
After the Railroaders' Sierra Shaw torched the Dust Devils for four 3-pointers in the second quarter, Dayton responded with a box-and-one defense and held Sparks to only seven third-quarter points on the way to breaking open what was up until then a close game.
Dayton finished league play at 11-3 (18-3 overall) to claim to the No. 2 seed behind Yerington in the upcoming Northern 3A regional playoffs. The Dust Devils will meet either Lowry or Fernley Friday in Elko after getting a bye on Thursday.
Seniors Chanelle Thompson (27 points) and Brittany Hill (20) paced Dayton, which held a 34-29 lead at halftime. Hill drained four 3-pointers.
Ariella Ruybal added seven points and Kathie Arias and Nicole Iratcabal each contributed five for the Dust Devils, who lost to Yerington in the first round of last year's regionals.
Yerington took first place this year via tiebreaker.
Sierra Shaw led Sparks with 20 points, followed by Dakota Shaw (12) and Jenny Rosales (eight).
Dayton outscored Sparks 18-7 in the third quarter and 24-10 in the fourth to put the game away.
YERINGTON 54, FERNLEY 44
Kayla Lommori scored 21 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to lead the Lions, who won the Northern 3A regular season championship via tiebreaker over Dayton.
Karrie-Ann Quartz added 16 points and seven rebounds for Yerington, which came back from a 17-13 deficit after the third quarter. The Lions, 11-3 in league, took a 24-23 lead at halftime and led 35-32 after three before pulling away in the fourth.
Brianna Dunn led Sparks with 16 points.
Yerington gets a first-round bye on Thursday before playing either Truckee or Spring Creek on Friday in Elko.