BY DARRELL MOODY
Nevada Appeal Sports Writer
You would be hard-pressed to find a more competitive matchup than Saturday's Lions' Club Capital Classic championship game Saturday afternoon.
For the last 30 minutes, 17 seconds of regulation and four minutes of overtime no more than four points separated Carson and Fallon.
In the end, it came down to two free throws by Garrett Adams with 31.8 seconds to go that snapped a 52-all tie and helped Fallon to a 55-52 victory at Morse Burley Gym.
"That was a helluva game," Fallon coach Corey Williams said after his team posted its 10th win in 12 games. "It was back and forth the whole way. Nobody could seize control. We've lived a lifetime in the last three days. We played with a lot of poise and didn't let our emotions get too much. They believed in themselves that they would come through."
Carson coach Bruce Barnes was obviously disappointed, but said this was a game, win or lose, that his team could learn from.
"This will help us more than a 25-point win," he said. "It was a good high school basketball game with good atmosphere."
Fallon outscored Carson 6-3 in the four-minute overtime period.
It was a game that Carson had a chance to win in regulation, save for some problems at the line.
With Carson trailing 49-46 with 1:05 left, sophomore guard Brian Barnes, who overcame a slow start shooting to finish with 15 points, hit the back end of a two-shot foul situation to cut the lead to a bucket.
After a Fallon turnover, Barnes was fouled and again managed to make the first shot to make it 49-48. He missed the second, but corralled the offensive rebound, and Coach Barnes called a timeout with 28.8 seconds left. Brian Barnes misfired and so did Jake Johnston at the other end. Carson called timeout with 15.8 left in the game to set up a final play.
Carson spread the floor and tried to extend Fallon defensively. The Greenwave's pressure paid off, and Carson was called for a foul with 1.8 left. Fallon's Dexter Daum drained a free throw to complete the scoring.
"The play we had set up, they took us out of," Carson coach Bruce Barnes said. "They did a good job (of pressuring). Daum out front is tall and long. That makes it difficult."
Williams said his defense was very conscious of Brian Barnes down the stretch.
"You've got to be conscious of him," Williams said.
Barnes hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the first half that tied the game at 24, and he opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers that tied the game at 40 with 6:46 remaining in regulation.
Paul Cagle III gave Carson a 44-41 lead with two baskets in a 31-second span. He was able to work his way inside, especially against Fallon's zone. Had it not been for a few tough rolls he might have reached 20 points.
"He's tough," Williams said. "He's a load, especially when my big guy (Anthony Tisdale) was in foul trouble."
Johnston, who finished with a game-high 19 points, scored on a driving layup, and after a Carson turnover, gave Fallon a 46-44 lead with a 3-pointer with 2:53 left.
Cagle, who scored 13 points, found Michael Lowes open under the basket with a nice basket. Lowes went up for the shot and was fouled. He bounced the first one off the back iron, but calmed the nerves and tied the game by making the second with 10.8 left. Jake Johnston heaved up a 26-footer that missed badly at the buzzer.
Brian Barnes gave Carson a 50-49 lead with 1:59 left in overtime by making the first of two free throws. Cagle came up with the loose ball on the rebound, but misfired from close range. Johnston drained a 3-pointer with 1:30 lead to give Fallon a 52-50 lead.
Carson came back down and missed three shots before Uriel Duran followed in a shot with 54.3 left in overtime, tying the game at 52.
HUG 56, CENTRAL VALLEY 53
Trey Johnson (23 points) and Anthony Johnson (16) combined for 38 points to lead the Hawks to a narrow victory.
Luke Cassedy led Central Valley led all scorers with 23 points.
LOWRY 66, DAMONTE RANCH 64
Lowry, led by Andrew Stephen's eighth-fourth quarter points, outscored Damonte Ranch 18-11 in the fourth quarter for the victory.
David Eastman led Lowry with 16 points and Kyle Brush led Damonte Ranch with 18.
REED 68, SPARKS 46
Mike Powell scored 29 points, including six 3-pointers in the final quarter, to lead Reed to an easy win.
Angel Guillen paced Sparks with 23.