Oasis takes on tall, fast Falcons in season opener

The Oasis Academy boys basketball team had a rough time in its first game of the season against Sierra Lutheran on Tuesday.

The Bighorns lost their first Nevada Interscholastic Athletics Association game by a score of 60-14.

The Falcons took the lead early, blanking Oasis in the first quarter, 21-0. The Bighorns started to rally in the second, though, getting on the board on Joel Mincer’s jump shot and fighting to catch up. Sierra Lutheran’s junior and senior-heavy team overwhelmed the Bighorns, however, and entered halftime 40-10.

The third quarter ended 53-12, then the final quarter closed the game with a 7-2 spread.

Branden Norman-Leary led the Bighorns, scoring 10 points. Mincer and Patrick Morrow scored the remainder of Oasis’s points.

Oasis coach Donald Schank said Sierra Lutheran was what he expected — big, tall and quick. He added they had an extra hurdle to clear since Kenyen Hicks was unable to play because of an injury, leaving Oasis with only six players.

Schank said they need to have better vision and build up their reaction time to the ball’s movements. He also said they need to work on making contact with players on defensive boards.

“We can’t allow teams to get as many second shots as they did,” Schank said.

The Bighorns also played against Fernley’s junior varsity squad Wednesday; results will be printed in next Wednesday’s LVN. Oasis travels to Incline Village Friday to take on the JV teams from Truckee and Incline.