DAYTON — Dayton outscored Sparks 34-16 in the second half to wipe out a 16-point halftime deficit and beat Sparks 50-47 in he Division 1A opener Friday night.
The Dust Devils improved to 7-1 overall heading into today’s home game against Lowry at 3:30 p.m.
“We came out with a lack of energy,” Dayton coach Jason Santos said. “Our defensive intensity wasn’t there. I don’t know what made these guys think they could just walk in and roll over these guys.”
Santos, whose team gave up 21 first-half points to Isaiah Campbell, went from a diamond and one defense to a 2-2-1 after the break and a box and one. Campbell managed just four second-half points.
“The change in defense helped a bit, but I think it was the butt chewing at the half,” Santos said. “Campbell only had four free throws in the second half.”
Jon Joyner tied the game at 47 with 5 seconds left on a 3-pointer, and after the Sparks bench was hit with a technical foul, Joyner gave the Dust Devils a 48-47 lead. Dayton tacked on two more free throws to complete the comeback.
Austin Fletcher had 15 second-half points, Julio Meza added seven and Bernardo Macias six. The trio had all but four of Dayton’s points in the final two quarters.
Galena 47, Douglas 46
MINDEN — Noah Peck’s third 3-pointer Friday night proved to be the difference for the Galena boys basketball team in its Sierra League victory at Douglas.
Peck knocked down his shot from the right corner with 12.3 seconds left to play, erasing a two-point Douglas lead. The Tigers rallied back after they trailed by as many as seven points in the third quarter. The score was tied on three occasions in the fourth quarter.
Douglas (2-3 overall, 1-2 league) was led by Pat Johnson with 10 points, while A.J. Pfaffenberger and James Herrick added 9 each.
Zack Lessinger scored 12 points and Peck 11 to lead the Grizzlies.
Varsity girls
Douglas 46, Galena 19
MINDEN — Katie McCullough and Leonna Mortimer combined to score 23 points for the Douglas girls Friday night in a 46-19 Sierra League win at home against Galena.
Douglas improved its record to 7-0 overall, 3-0 in league.
McCullough scored a game-high 12 points, and dished out three straight assists to start the game as the Tigers surged to an early 9-0 lead. Mortimer finished with 11 points.
Galena never scored in double digits in any quarter as Douglas led 15-6 after one quarter and 30-9 at halftime.
Sparks 51, Dayton 38
Dayton ran out of steam mid-way through the third quarter which allowed the Sparks Railroaders to take a 51-38 win at Dayton High Friday night.
The Dust Devils had a nine-point third quarter lead but Sparks forced a couple of turnovers and the game snowballed on the Dust Devils, coach Ben Halverson said.
“Toward the end, we lost our focus on executing the offense,” Halverson said.
Halverson said the short-handed Dust Devils played without five players who are currently injured. He credited the team for its solid offensive execution and defensive effort in the first-half.
Christi Ricci led the team with 13 points. Halverson said Ricci did a nice job of penetrating the Sparks defense and getting to the free throw line. Lettie Lynch and Taylor Ingersoll each added eight points.
Dayton, 0-2 and 0-1, hosts Lowry at 2 p.m. today.
JV Girls
Sparks 29, Dayton 22
Elvia Diaz scored 10 points, but it wasn’t enough as Dayton fell 29-22 to Sparks Friday night.
Carson 46, Manogue 16
Serena Miller scored 17 points to lead the Senators to a lopsided win on Friday. Melissa Glanzmann chipped in nine points.
FROSH BOYS
Carson 34, Manogue 29
Carson beat Manogue, 34-29, on Friday night. Leading the Senators was Geraet Raun with 10 points, Brandon Gagnon with eight. Carson is 6-1 on the year.
FROSH GIRLS
Carson 37, Manogue 20
Josie Share had 12 points as Carson improved to 7-0 on the year with a 17-point win over Manogue. Mallory Otto scored eight points, Molly Otto added seven points, Anya Woodbury scored six points and Jenae Steele added four. Carson returns to action on Thursday at the State Farm Holiday Classic in Reno.
Dayton 24, Sparks 21
Dayton topped Sparks, 24-21, on Friday night. Kristina Mason led the team with eight points. Jessie Ingham and Courtney Romero each added seven.