Alexis Jarrett blocks a shot from one of Elko's players
The Fallon Lady Wave girls basketball team rolled to a pair of victories over the weekend.
On Saturday, Fallon knocked off Elko, 56-15. On Friday, they cruised to a 60-26 win over Spring Creek.
During Saturday’s game, Fallon jumped out to a 12-3 lead after the first quarter thanks to Kaitlyn Hunter and Leilani Otuafi. Elko’s points came from a basket by Gabe Rowley and a free throw by Lexi Baum.
Fallon opened the second quarter with a 12-0 run to stretch the lead to 29-3. Fallon led 36-8 at halftime.
The third quarter saw Elko put up a fight to keep the score under the 35-point margin for a running clock. While Sariah Pulley and Baum kept that goal just out of reach, Otuafi suddenly went on a one-player scoring spree, single handedly scoring 10 points to end the quarter 53-12.
The final quarter was short-lived. Fallon’s Madison Whitaker and Hannah Evans scored in the final quarter for the Wave.
Fallon coach Anne Smith said there was improvement from the start of the season, but said the Wave players weren’t happy with how many fouls they had. Both games had a number of fouls, though Saturday’s game was an improvement compared to Friday.
“I don’t mind hustle fouls, but the reaching — you can’t have that, that’s something you can fix,” Smith said.
Against Elko, Smith said they played a strong game. She brought out the second team early in the game to give them playing time and let the starters rest. While they did not score much, the coach noted they played extremely well.
“While they did not score much, they were able to hold Elko, so it gave our starters a break … I felt all around the team did a great job,” Smith said.
Friday’s game against Spring Creek was another one-sided game, ending 60-26 to Fallon.
The Wave quickly took the lead with a basket by Leta Otuafi, followed by a three-pointer by Caitlyn Welch. The Lady Spartans made it on the board with a free throw by Caitlyn Dimick, but Fallon then stretched the lead to 17-1. The first quarter ended with Fallon leading 20-7.
The second quarter began with the Lady Spartans pushing for a rally; they scored more, but struggled to overcome turnovers as Fallon nearly reached a running clock on baskets by Lorynn Fagg, Evans, Faith Cornmesser and Otuafi.
The second half opened with Spring Creek continuing to put up a fight. The Lady Spartans nearly matched Fallon’s scores. Spring Creek’s Kaitlyn McLeod, Dimick and Shaylynn Yaunick broke through Fallon’s defense, trying for as many points as they could.
The final quarter was almost dead even. Whitaker made three shots to push the game into running clock. The coach noted the Lady Wave lagged a little in the first quarter against Spring Creek, though they picked up in the second. She said she stressed the need to control the boards in the locker room at halftime.
Welch was a leader in the series, scoring 35 points across both games with several three-pointers. Leilani Otuafi was also a top scorer, adding 23.
“Caitlyn was on fire,” Smith said of the Spring Creek game. “Not only shooting wise, but she had 6 steals, 7 or 8 rebounds; she was dominant all the way around, just did a phenomenal job.”
The coach added Otuafi was just as strong, playing her best games this weekend, driving past Spring Creek for several good first half baskets.
The Wave played a non-league game against the Northern 4A’s McQueen on Tuesday. They play Truckee and Bishop Manogue this weekend, with Truckee at home Friday and traveling to Reno Saturday.