Hot start gives Lady Wave win over Panthers

The Lady Wave’s hot start to its Saturday Northern 3A home game against North Valley’s became a blessing late in the fourth quarter.

Trailing Fallon 35-13 at halftime, the Panthers outplayed Fallon in the second half and cut the lead to within 10 points in the fourth quarter. The Wave, though, stopped the Panthers’ second-half surge to post a 54-39 win at the Elmo Dericco Gym to even its record at 10-10 and 8-6 in league. North Valleys falls to 5-15, 3-10.

Fallon is entrenched in sixth place in the Northern 3A one game behind fifth-place Elko and 1.5 games behind Spring Creek, two teams the Greenwave play on the road this weekend.

In Saturday’s game, Fallon’s Madison Whitaker scored 10 of her game-high 16 points in the first quarter but cooled off for the rest of the game.

Whitaker controlled the floor from the baseline and under the basket, while sinking a 3-pointer from the right side, and Makenzee Moretto added five points in Fallon’s 17-11 opening quarter. Karlee Hitchcock was inside the circle for a long basket.

Both teams traded baskets early in the game and were knotted at 5 until Whitaker drilled in a trey. Fallon outshot the Panthers 11-6 going into the second quarter.

The Lady Wave’s defense limited the Panthers to a basket in the second quarter, and the Fallon offense scored 18 points to lead 35-13 at halftime.

Aisha Sharron scored seven points for the Wave including a hook shot from the baseline. Moretto worked the low post for four points, while Shaylee Fagg added five include a high-arching 3-pointers with less than a minute remaining in the half.

The Panthers fell behind by their largest margin in the game, 27 points, in the third quarter before North Valleys cut the lead to 44-27. Ilena Ruiz scored five points including a 3-pointer, and Alexia Pena added three.

Pena added to her total in the fourth quarter, and her free throw with 2:37 left in the game cut Fallon’s lead to 48-38.

The Wave finished the quarter on a 6-0 run with Hitchcock connecting on a basket to give her four total points, and Moretto added two layups in the last minute to give her 18 points — her season high — in the game.

Whitaker added 16, while Sharron had seven. Addison Sandberg and Sam Frost each had a basket.

Lady Wave 65, South Tahoe 27 — Fallon started last week with a convincing win on the road at South Lake Tahoe.

The Lady Wave led 28-10 after the first quarter and added to its total for a 42-16 halftime lead. Fallon outscored the Vikings 14-4 in the third quarter and 9-7 in the final stanza.

Whitaker and Moretto each scored in double figures, 13 and 12 points, respectively. Frost added eight and Sharron seven.

Others who added to Fallon’s offense included Kinsli Rogne, six; Hitchcock, five; Fagg, Sandberg and Hailey Guerrero, four each; and Addison Smith, two.