The curtain fell on the Carson High boys basketball team Thursday night, and it will go down as one of the best seasons in school history.
Winning 25 games is no easy feat. Neither is winning 17 straight games. Of Carson’s six losses two were by a combined six points at the Crusader Classic in San Francisco, one was a double-overtime defeat at the Tarkanian Classic and another was an eight-pointer at the hands of Cathedral Classic, also in Las Vegas.
Carson’s worst losses were Friday night (53-43) and a double-digit loss to Desert Vista down in Las Vegas.
Carson easily could have been at 29 or 30 wins had it not been for a play here or a play there. It was a resilient group. They never quit… never. It was refreshing to see. Too many times in my 40-plus years covering high school athletics I’ve seen teams throw in the towel when things start to get tough; when things go south.
This team played harder. Even on Friday, Carson charged back to 48-41 late in the game. The Senators were unable to get stops when they needed them, however, and saw their Cinderella season end in the state semifinals. It would have been awesome to see the Senators get to the state finals.
Coach Carlos Mendeguia pointed out to the team in the post-game meeting it will look back with fond memories many years later.
“Twenty years from now you can come to Carson High and walk past that trophy case where the net and regional championship trophy are you will tell your kids about it,” Mendeguia said.
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When Mendeguia talked about Coronado during the week, I wasn’t sure the Senators had a chance to win.
I changed my mind about four minutes into the game. The Cougars may have been 21-4 and went undefeated in league, but for a team that scored a lot of points, it didn’t have great shooters.
This was a winnable game, but the Cougars’ trapping defense, especially in the corners, forced a lot of mistakes. In the second quarter, Carson played like it was behind instead of ahead. The Senators tried to force the ball into small windows. And, Carson unfortunately was intimidated at times by Coronado’s 6-8 center Jake DesJardins, who blocked a couple of shots and changed several others.
Of Carson’s 31 games, I attended 26 of them and this was the first time I witnessed a Carson loss. As much as I try to not be a fan, I certainly was hoping the Cinderella season would continue at least one more game.
It was enjoyable watching the Senators. Teams that execute like Carson are a treat to watch. Teams that always play hard are fun to watch.
All I can say guys is thanks for the memories.
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Carson had a nice turnout Thursday. I was hoping for more, and I realize an 8 p.m. game in Reno on a school night presents problems.
I’d certainly like to see athletic teams supported more. I was disappointed during the season because, for an undefeated team, there weren’t a lot of people at home games. I don’t buy the school night thing, either. Games start at 7, and they are over by 8:30. That still leaves time to study if you didn’t do it right after school. Come on boys and girls develop some school spirit. Show your classmates you care.
The one thing the league needs to change is the schedule. It was unfair Carson played only one home game on Friday all season. What’s up with that? Is it that hard to make sure teams have close to the same number of Tuesday and Friday games?