DAYTON — The Lady Wave are heading to the postseason ball as the favorites after clinching the Northern 3A girls title Friday night at Dayton.
Fallon, which has not lost a league game in three seasons, worked its inside game in the first quarter to take a 17-5 lead, and the defense continued to do its part for the rest of the game in a 55-20 win. With two league games remaining, Fallon leads the league with a 16-0 mark, 21-2 overall. The last regular season game, though, is at Fernley.
The Lady Wave travel to Sparks on Friday for a 6 p.m. game and then face the Vaqueros with a tipoff at 1 p.m. Fernley gave the Wave fits the first time they met, taking a 29-22 first-half lead but then falling 63-51. Fallon roared back with 41 second-half points, while the defense allowed only 22 points.
The game will be aired on K2 99.5 FM and Network 1 Sports! www.network1sports.com/station /kktu.
The Wave rode its pressure defense and sideline trapping in the first quarter to score off Dayton’s turnovers.
Because of gaining the inside look, Leta Otuafi and Kenna Hamlin each had solid shooting in the opening quarter. Otuafi scored on a putback basket, a reverse layup underneath the rim and a layup down the lane, while Hamlin drained the game’s first 3-pointer from the right side. She also had a 10-foot set shot and hook. Makenzee Moretto came off the bench and played aggressively against the Dust Devils, tallying four points.
Aleea Howe, who led Dayton with 12 points, swiped the ball and scored on a layup, and she also stepped back and sunk a trey.
The Fallon starters watched most of the second half for the bench as the reserves received more playing time to give the Wave a 26-10 halftime lead Kaylee Hitchcock paced Fallon with a field goal and two free throws, and Otuafi and Aisha Sharron each scored from the inside.
Howe mirrored her first-quarter shooting by scoring five more points on a trey and layup —before halftime.
Sharron added four points in Fallon’s 12-5 third quarter.
The Greenwave defense was on fire in the final quarter, and Hitchcock singed the nets. Playing a full-court press with intense pressure on the inbound pass, Fallon caused Dayton to turn the ball over four times that resulted in four straight layups for Hitchcock, who had one of her best games of the season with 12 points.
Hamlin, who led all scorers with 13 points, added six points, and Alexis Jarrett chipped in with a basket. Otuafi and Moretto each had eight, and Sharron scored seven.