Fallon's Caitlyn Welch (22) scores a layup in the Wave's game against Truckee, their last before the regionals.
With this weekend being the first shot the Lady Wave has had at the state championships in several years, Fallon is looking back on the games that have shaped the team this season.
Fallon coach Anne Smith said the first games she believes really shaped the team were against the larger schools such as McQueen, Damonte Ranch and Reed High School in Reno.
Smith recalled the Elite Varsity tournament during the holiday season when the Lady Wave defeated McQueen, 48-35, and Reed, 59-47, to usher in the New Year.
“McQueen, Damonte Ranch, Reed, those are good solid programs,” Smith said. “Something that I would aspire my program to be like someday. To be able to go and compete against those teams was very good and it gave the girls confidence in what we were doing and confidence in themselves, both individually and as a team.”
Since the beginning of 2016, Fallon has met a few veritable speed bumps on the road to the regionals,
Closer to home, Smith also recalled the Lady Wave’s second game against the Fernley Vaqueros at Fernley High School. Despite a 46-33 victory, Smith said was an eye-opening experience because her players got the chance to see defensively how important it is to pack their defense in a bag and take it on the road.
“It should not vary from game to game home or away,” Smith said. “Your defense should always be intense and right on point, so that was a good learning experience.”
The close bout with Fernley in their own territory also better prepared the Wave to meet the Lady Vaqueros in their semifinal encounter at North Valley one week ago when Fallon put on the defense Smith had hoped for and shut down their rival, 54-21.
Two games before the regional seedings, Fallon’s last home game against Elko joined its highlight reel and boosted several players to top-five rankings in D1-A including steals per game and assists per game. The Lady Wave surged ahead and started a running clock against the Lady Indians, the first time this had happened against Elko in 15 years.