Carson girls beat Hug

RENO - A pattern is beginning to emerge for the Lady Senators of Carson: 5-foot-11 junior center Cassie Vondrak is making her presence felt in the post; senior point guard Christy Works is leading by example with her all-out play; and sophomore guards Yvonne Hollett and Gina Bianchi are beginning to consistently find their range from the floor.

The net result is that the Senators, after a 49-47 win over the Hawks Tuesday at Hug High School, have a two-game winning streak on their hands.

Works scored a team-high 14 points, Hollett added 11 and Bianchi nine as Carson improved to 1-1 in the Sierra League and 4-13 overall, while dropping Hug to 0-2 in league and 3-7 overall.

"We executed fairly well," first-year Carson coach Todd Ackerman said. "We were a little impatient at the end - that's just youth and inexperience. We're 1-1 (in league); that's all that matters. It doesn't matter (about the Senators' record) before Christmastime."

What mattered heading into halftime with a 27-20 lead was that Vondrak, who had six points, was making a difference down low, blocking shots, scooping up rebounds and finding Hollett for a pair of baskets.

Hollett scored eight points in the second quarter and Works added eight first-half points in a rough-and-tumble, physical game.

"Christy plays well every game," Ackerman said. "Yvonne played well. Gina played a better second half than a first. We didn't play everyone. Out of our 10 available players, nine played. That's the way we're going to go on varsity in league play.

"Cassie doesn't do anything fancy, but she's solid, big, takes up space and she's strong. She has to learn how strong she is or she'll get in trouble."

Carson was the one to get Hug in trouble in the third quarter, leading by as many as 10 at 35-25 on a long jumper by Hollett with 4 minutes, 44 seconds remaining in the quarter.

"I think my shots were on," Hollett said. "We ran some nice plays to get open on the outside. The whole team swung into a screen. It was a team effort. We all really wanted it. Everyone bucked up to play. We played defense and offense and came through."

"Yvonne is stepping up," said Works, who along with Bianchi and now Vondrak are the only Senators with varsity experience. "Her shots help out a lot. It's nice knowing you can feed her outside and she'll make it. It's comforting. She workd hard and puts her all into the game. It shows."

Carson got a little too comfortable with that 10-point lead and led by the irrepressible Shanice Martin, who scored a team-high 18 points, and Chakala Carthen, who added 15, Hug went on a 14-6 run to close the gap to 41-39 with 6:21 to go in the fourth.

Works pumped in a long jumper to make it 43-39, but Vondrak fouled out and Carthen made both free throws as did Arieanna Johnson (after a Tiffany O'Day foul) and it was knotted up at 43-43 with 4:43 to go.

"We didn't play real smart down the end," Ackerman said. "We also had a couple of ill-advised shots with us being up. But we battled. If we stay close, we'll win some of those."

A Bianchi layup on a pass from Krista Mattice and short jumper by Mattice on a Bianchi pass gave Carson a 47-43 lead with 2:23 to go.

Hug tied it at 47-47 on a Martin layup and Carthen bucket, but Martin fouled Hollett, who buried both free throws to give the Senators the last lead they'd need.

"We had to stick together as a team and pull through," Works said. "We got a little anxious at one point, but I thought we pulled together. We learned that nothing happens if we don't pull together as a team."

Works said the Senators are beginning to get on the same page.

"Everybody's coming up from JV," Works said. "They're learning and already we've improved a lot - each game, each practice. That's what counts."

Next up for Carson is a date with Damonte Ranch Friday at Morse Burley Gym, beginning at 5:15 p.m.

"We have to work on our offense," Ackerman said. "We have to work harder on the defensive end, too. We're slow in getting to our spots defensively. We've talked about it; now we'll have to go through and show them. We talk about boxing out; now we have to work on it. It's the same thing everyone is working on - basic old stuff we have to get better on."