Fernley's Zach Burns (5) takes the ball in the win against Truckee.
TRUCKEE — The Fernley boys ended the regular season in dominant fashion Saturday, running away with a 73-38 thrashing at winless Truckee.
The Vaqueros were in control from the onset and jumped out to an 18-7 lead after one quarter, steadily extending the margin to 32-20 by the half and 47-25 by the end of the third quarter.
With the win against the Wolverines, Fernley is the No. 4 seed to face the Greenwave varsity team from Fallon, the No. 5 seed, Thursday at 8 p.m. at North Valley High School in Reno.
Though the Vaqueros were among several teams that narrowly defeated the Wave in the first half of the season at home, 57-52, the Wave defeated Fernley in an upset three ago, 53-36 with the first showing of their formerly limited reserves. With several of Fallon’s veterans returning since, it’s anyone’s game.
In the women’s D1-A bracket, the Fernley girls survived an open look by Truckee’s sharp shooter late in regulation to escape with a 31-30 road win in Saturday’s regular-season finale.
Truckee’s Sydney Mock led all scorers with 14 points to go with her 11 steals. Hailee Edgar led the Vaqueros with 11 points, while Grace DeLeon added six and Brooke Chapin four.
A No. 4 seed in the Northern Division I-A regional tournament, the Vaqueros (10-6 league) will now take on fifth-seeded Spring Creek in a quarterfinal matchup Thursday at 6:20 p.m. at North Valleys High School. Truckee (6-10), a No. 6 seed, will take on third-seeded Elko (13-4) on Thursday at 3 p.m.
The Lady Wave team finished their season with an undefeated record overall and in D1-A after dominating Truckee, and earned a bye for the quarterfinals as the No. 1 seed in the league.
If the Lady Vaqueros defeat the Lady Spartans on Thursday, then they’ll move on to face Fallon in the semifinals on Friday at 6:20 p.m. at NVHS in Reno.
Fallon first dominated Fernley at home in December 55-22 at the Elmo Dericco gym, and would win by only a slightly smaller margin in Fernley’s territory in the second half of the season, 46-33.
Nonetheless, with the Vaqueros riding the vibe of a five-game winning streak to enter the postseason, Fallon may have to watch closely before counting anyone out.