Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal
For Damonte Ranch, it was excruciating from start to finish. For Carson High, it was nothing more than a pick-up game.
Even with a makeshift starting lineup, Carson scored 16 of the game's first 20 points and coasted to a 66-36 win over the Mustangs in a Sierra League girls basketball game Tuesday night at Morse Burley Gym.
The victory moves the Lady Senators, who are on a four-game winning streak, one step closer to a playoff berth with a 7-4 record. Damonte Ranch remained winless in league play at 0-11.
This was truly a team win, as Carson had six players score eight or more points. Brandi Vega led the way with 12, while Cassie Vondrak, Kailey Taylor and Yvonne Hollett added nine apiece. Tiffany O'Day and Gina Bianchi added eight apiece. Bianchi, with a second-quarter 3-pointer, became the all-time single-season leader with 37. She surpassed Darlene Smokey's record of 36 set back in 1997.
"I think we're finally starting to play together better," Bianchi said. "You can tell on the court. We're reading each other well. If we keep working hard, we can beat any team. There aren't going to be any easy wins (the rest of the way). We have to come out and work hard."
Though it's too early to pencil Carson into the playoffs, the Lady Senators could be a force if they do get in.
"If we shoot the ball well and play better defense (we could be)," Carson coach Todd Ackerman said. "We worked on nothing but defense in practice, and I thought we did a nice job tonight. The girls feel good about themselves.
"We didn't have to force things. When we did more than one pass and shoot, we got good shots."
Ackerman gave Walker and Bre Anderson starting spots along with Krista Mattice, Vega and Yvonne Hollett. It was the first time the group had started a game together, but you wouldn't know it by the way the Senators started the game.
"I wanted to give some seniors a chance to start a game that had not started a game," Ackerman said. "It was (a good time to do it)."
A trey by Vega and two buckets from Hollett gave Carson a 9-2 lead in the first 2 minutes 21 seconds of the game. Damonte scored on a putback, but a 3-pointer by Hollett, a bucket by Taylor and a lay-up by Anderson made it 16-4.
Carson ended the first quarter with a 20-10 lead, but a 10-4 run highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers by Bianchi stretched the lead to 30-14 with 5:08 left in the half. It was the second 3-pointer that gave Bianchi the school record.
"I'd heard about it," Bianchi said. "I knew I was kind of close."
O'Day and Vega followed Bianchi's second 3-pointer with buckets to get the lead to 34-14. Carson ended the half with a 21-point bulge.
The pace slowed in the third quarter. Carson ended the period with a 7-0 run on a three-point play by Vega and baskets by Vondrak and O'Day that upped the lead to 54-27.
- Contact Darrell Moody at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com or by calling 881-1281