Dawson Lamb drives the baseline against Douglas on Tuesday night.
MINDEN — A lot of contact. A lot of bodies hitting the hardwood. A whole bunch of noise.
It was your typical Carson-Douglas boys basketball game, sans drama.
The Tigers used a big 9-4 run to end the third quarter to open a double-digit lead en route to a 63-51 win over the Senators on Tuesday at Randy Green Court.
It was a big win for the Tigers, who now lead Carson by two games for the fourth and final playoff spot. Carson dropped to 3-8 going into home games against Galena (Friday) and Bishop Manogue (Tuesday). It would appear the Senators need an upset victory to keep their playoff hopes alive.
“It’s always a physical battle,” Douglas coach Corey Thacker said. “The kids kept their composure. It wasn’t (our) the best, but at least we held on for the win. That is our M.O. (modus operandi). It’s not just this game. We have to do a better job of taking care of the ball down the stretch.
“I thought we ran our sets pretty well. The kids were setting screens.”
For Carson first-year coach Jordan Glover, it was another tough one, and the 21 turnovers was a tough stat to swallow.
“I’m at a loss for words,” Glover said. “Douglas came ready to play, and they played hard the entire game. They were very well prepared for us. They knew when we were going to run a certain play. A lot of times we shot ourselves in the foot.
“That is 21 less possessions that we had a chance to even score points.”
And, in a 13-point game, that’s huge. Credit the Douglas defense for some of the mistakes, but blame Carson for some sloppy passing.
Carson had just cut the Douglas lead to 33-28 with 4:45 left in the third quarter on an inside bucket by Dawson Lamb and a three-point play by Jonny Randall. And, Carson had a chance to make it a three-point game 13 seconds later, but Robison missed the front end of a 1-on-1.
Chase Jackson scored on a driving layup with 4:14 left, and after Lamb misfired at the other end, Andrew Collins scored to make it 37-28 with 3:42 left. Lamb missed again at the other end, and Brady Rodina drained two free throws to make it 39-28. After two empty possessions apiece, Colton Schafer scored on a layup to make it 39-30 with 1:35 remaining. Kane Hoyopatubbi scored at the other end for an 11-point bulge. The quarter ended with the Tigers up 10.
Douglas’ lead stayed between eight and 10 for the first 3:45 of the fourth quarter, and that’s when Douglas put together another decisive run. The Tigers turned a 50-42 lead into a 59-42 advantage with a 9-0 run over the next two minutes.
The Tigers beat the Carson press, and Ian Ozolins scored on a layup. After a Carson turnover, one of 21 on the night, Justin Lopez scored on a follow shot to make it 54-42 with 3:51 left. Carson missed a shot and turned it over on its two ensuing possessions, and Jackson scored after the turnover to make it 56-42. Rodina scored on a driving layup and Collins drained a free throw to end the surge.
The lead only dipped below 15 twice, both times coming in the final 48 seconds when Trent Robison made two free throws and Derek Barry hit a 3-pointer for what turned out to be the final points of the game.
In the opening half, the Senators never led but kept themselves in the hunt thanks to eight points from Abel Carter and six from Barry. It was a 25-20 game with 1:32 left, but Douglas got layups from Jackson and Ozolins, and a free throw from Rodina to take a 30-20 lead into the locker room.
“I thought Carson outhustled us in the first half,” Thacker said. “They scrapped and got loose balls.”
But the Senators were unable to get enough stops to keep the Tigers in check the second half.
Sierra Lutheran stops Smith Valley
SMITH — Zane Warkentin scored 17 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out three assists to lead the Falcons to a 56-32 Northern 1A win over Smith Valley.
Kyman Berger scored 12 points and pulled down four rebounds, Thomas Mellum scored eight points and had five steals, and Logan Schinzing contributed seven points and had three steals.
“I thought that we came out with some good intensity on defense and that really was the key on how we played tonight,” coach Ben Walther said.
Sierra Lutheran hosts Virginia City on Saturday.