Carson's Kyle Krebs passes against Reed Tuesday night in the second half.
Carson High hadn’t played a basketball game in eight days, and initially the Senators showed some rust.
The Senators rebounded in the middle two quarters, outscoring Reed 27-11 en route to an easy 52-34 win in a Northern Division I crossover boys basketball game Tuesday night at Morse Burley Gymnasium.
The win upped Carson’s record to 3-0 in league and 9-5 overall entering tonight’s (6 p.m.) home game against Reno, also 3-0 in league.
“I thought we came out sluggish,” CHS coach Carlos Mendeguia said. “We looked a little rusty. You get in a rhythm when you play a lot. We haven’t done anything except practice.
“We did have two real good quarters. We need to clean up our turnovers, though. We weren’t valuing the basketball tonight. I thought we were very patient but aggressive and we got to the basket against their zone. We moved the ball around. Teams zoned us a lot last year. We need to attack the gaps a little better.”
The main weapon for the Senators against the Reed zone was senior swingman Asa Carter, who scored 14 of his 16 points in the middle two periods, mostly on mid-range jump shots.
Carter scored six to spark a 12-2 run at the outset of the second quarter, stretching Carson’s lead to 29-15 with 2:33 left.
In the third quarter, Carter scored eight straight CHS points, as the Senators opened up a 41-22 advantage with less than three minutes left.
“Asa has been our most consistent player,” Mendeguia said. “He’s a great athlete and plays well at both ends of the floor. He is looking real comfortable out there.”
Carter’s play impressed Reed’s first-year coach Zach Sanford.
“He’s a very good player,” Sanford said. “His mid-range game is very good. He is the leader of that team.”
Sanford had no choice but to zone the larger Senators.
“We’re going to be undersized no matter who we play,” Sanford said. “They did a good job of getting to the basket.
“They did a good job of being patient and attacking the basket. They are a good team and they play a lot together, and you could tell that.”
While the Senators scored pretty much at will until they emptied the bench, the Raiders struggled to score points after putting up 13 in the opening eight minutes.
“We wanted to be able to score in transition; get some easy baskets,” Sanford said. “We were trying to use ball screens to get open looks. We didn’t shoot the ball very well, and we have to do that to have a chance against a team like Carson.”
When Carter wasn’t doing damage to the Raiders, it was Jayden DeJoseph, who scored 16 as well. His were a little more spread out than Carter’s.
“I thought Jayden played well,” Mendeguia said. “He has a real good inside, outside game, though I know he liked the perimeter a little more. He is tough to defend because he can step out and hit a 3 or score inside.”
The competition will be a bit tougher tonight against the Huskies, according to Mendeguia. The Huskies are coached by former Wolf Pack player Matt Ochs.
“Reno has some length,” Mendeguia said. “They are 6-6, 6-6, 6-3 and 6-2. They usually play a 2-3 zone and make you earn every basket. We have to be patient at the offensive end and take care of the ball.”