Oasis's Janelle Pike readies to shoot a basket around Kailya Dowling of the Lady Falcons.
The Lady Bighorns played a series of four games this week, claiming wins in three.
Oasis played Coral Academy of Science — Reno Friday, then Eureka Saturday; it also had a makeup game against Yerington’s junior varsity team Monday and played Sierra Lutheran Wednesday.
The game against Sierra Lutheran ended in a solid victory, 42-18. The first quarter was a stalemate; Oasis opened to a 10-0 lead, then Sierra Lutheran took off to close to 10-8. The Lady Bighorns swept the second quarter, 22-8.
After halftime Oasis nearly swept the third quarter, but a basket by Kati Boogman had Sierra Lutheran trailing 34-10. The final quarter was another even match, both teams scoring four baskets.
Oasis Coach Dusty Casey said he was happy with how much the team has grown at this point. He said they’re coming together as a team. He said it’s a good way to go into the last games of the season.
“A game like this is good because we could really get everybody in and everyone gets lots of minutes,” Casey said. “Everyone got in tonight.”
Oasis Academy claimed another decisive victory over Coral Academy, 49-14. The game was particularly special since it was also the second game in the Battle for the Ore Cart — much like the Fremont Cannon, Oasis and Coral compete for an ore cart, which is displayed at the winning school.
Oasis won the ore cart, defending their possession from last year.
The Lady Bighorns were on fire, claiming an early lead and nearly sweeping each quarter. Brooklyn Whitaker and Sadie O’Flaherty were on fire shooting baskets, scoring the bulk of Oasis’s points.
Oasis leapt to a 10-point lead in the first quarter, though a last minute basket by Christine Austria put the Lady Falcons on the board, 12-2. The second quarter was a defensive battle with both teams held at bay; Coral Academy’s Gabriella Poulsen and Elizabeth Yurcisin added baskets, 18-6.
After halftime, the Lady Bighorns nearly doubled their score while Poulsen and Austria advanced the Lady Falcons, 34-10. The final quarter was another near sweep, though Coral’s Disha Patel scored a basket for the final margin.
Whitaker was the leader for Oasis, scoring 29 points with O’Flaherty scoring 14, including one three-pointer. Savannah Robinson, Janelle Pike and Taryn Barrenchea each added two points.
Casey recalled they had a rough first half and said he felt they played better in the second. He added they were sluggish in the second quarter, not attacking the press or pushing the ball down the middle for easy layups.
“We really kind of overwhelmed them in the second half,” Casey said.
The Lady Bighorns took a 48-19 loss, Saturday, against Eureka. The Lady Vandals came out with strength across the board, outscoring Oasis in every quarter; in the fourth quarter, Oasis was too far behind to make a comeback.
Casey said Eureka has an experienced team this year and Oasis struggled to put up a fight.
Monday’s game was a close victory against Yerington, 45-44. The game was close throughout, though Yerington took a small lead in the first three quarters. In the final quarter, though, Oasis rallied and overpowered the Lions to outscore them 16-2.