Carson High girls basketball dominates Reno in first win over Huskies in 14-plus years

Carson High's Camryn Quilling drives to the hoop during the NIAA Northern Division 4A game between the Reno Huskies and Carson Senators at Carson High.

Carson High's Camryn Quilling drives to the hoop during the NIAA Northern Division 4A game between the Reno Huskies and Carson Senators at Carson High.

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About everything went right for the Carson High girls basketball team Friday night as the Senators dispatched Reno 62-33.

Not only did the win give Carson its 10th win of the season, matching last season’s total, it was also the first Senator win over Reno since prior to the 2006-07 season (as far back as MaxPreps tracks results).

The Senators elected to play defense right out of the gate, dropping three players underneath the basket for the opening tip-off.

As it turned out, defense was exactly what carried Carson to its victory as the Senators swiped countless steals over the course of the evening with nonstop pressure defense.

Senator point guard Lily Bouza had a field day both on the defensive and offensive end, pickpocketing Husky ball handlers left and right.

After poking steals loose, the Senator senior led fast break after fast break as Carson streaked down the floor on its way to a 24-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.

At one points Carson led 10-6, but a 28-4 run had the Senators out in control 38-10 in the final minutes of the opening half.

“We haven’t beaten Reno in years,” said Bouza. “There was a different intensity on the court tonight.”

By the time the Senators hit the locker room they had posted 44 points before eventually scoring a season-high 62 points.

Bouza’s breaks out in transition allowed her to score 15 points on the night.

Fellow guard Abby Golik also had a quality night, posting 19 points for Carson, sinking three triples in the process.

“The first team we played was Reno,” said Golik about her first varsity contest as a freshman. “We really didn’t make that many mistakes (tonight). … It has a bigger feeling than just basketball. We accomplished something and we worked together. It feels great.”

Naycy Alvarez, Camryn Quilling and Bella Kordonowy all put up numbers in the win as well. Alvarez finished with 10 points while Quilling and Kordonowy each scored eight points for the Senators.

Impressive start to the season

With Carson’s 10th win coming in dominating fashion, the Senators are enjoying the ride after a 10-15 season a year ago.

“This year, I feel like we have a lot more chemistry with each other and we trust each other a lot,” said Bouza. “We’re all really good friends on and off the court.”

The win is Carson’s third in a row and fifth in their last six contests.

The defense has been a major part of the Senators success to this point of the season.

“I feel like we’re just super aggressive,” said Bouza. “All we want to do is get steals and fast breaks since we’re a really fast team.”

Golik feels that the team chemistry has been a big part of the season as well, but having the younger players give full effort in practice has been a big reason for the overall team success.

“Our younger players have stepped up a lot in practice and that really pushes our starters,” said Golik.

The Senators aren’t trying to get too far ahead of themselves with an entire Sierra League slate in front of them, but Carson’s eyes are set firmly on the postseason.

“We haven’t won a first (round) playoff game in a couple years so winning that first game will be really big for us. Hopefully, we can go farther than the first round,” Bouza said.

UP NEXT: Carson (10-3) will begin Sierra League play Tuesday at Galena (3-10).

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About everything went right for the Carson High girls basketball team Friday night as the Senators dispatched Reno 62-33.

Not only did the win give Carson its 10th win of the season, matching last season’s total, it was also the first Senator win over Reno since prior to the 2006-07 season (as far back as MaxPreps tracks results).

The Senators elected to play defense right out of the gate, dropping three players underneath the basket for the opening tip-off.

As it turned out, defense was exactly what carried Carson to its victory as the Senators swiped countless steals over the course of the evening with nonstop pressure defense.

Senator point guard Lily Bouza had a field day both on the defensive and offensive end, pickpocketing Husky ball handlers left and right.

After poking steals loose, the Senator senior led fast break after fast break as Carson streaked down the floor on its way to a 24-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.

At one points Carson led 10-6, but a 28-4 run had the Senators out in control 38-10 in the final minutes of the opening half.

“We haven’t beaten Reno in years,” said Bouza. “There was a different intensity on the court tonight.”

By the time the Senators hit the locker room they had posted 44 points before eventually scoring a season-high 62 points.

Bouza’s breaks out in transition allowed her to score 15 points on the night.

Fellow guard Abby Golik also had a quality night, posting 19 points for Carson, sinking three triples in the process.

“The first team we played was Reno,” said Golik about her first varsity contest as a freshman. “We really didn’t make that many mistakes (tonight). … It has a bigger feeling than just basketball. We accomplished something and we worked together. It feels great.”

Naycy Alvarez, Camryn Quilling and Bella Kordonowy all put up numbers in the win as well. Alvarez finished with 10 points while Quilling and Kordonowy each scored eight points for the Senators.

Impressive start to the season

With Carson’s 10th win coming in dominating fashion, the Senators are enjoying the ride after a 10-15 season a year ago.

“This year, I feel like we have a lot more chemistry with each other and we trust each other a lot,” said Bouza. “We’re all really good friends on and off the court.”

The win is Carson’s third in a row and fifth in their last six contests.

The defense has been a major part of the Senators success to this point of the season.

“I feel like we’re just super aggressive,” said Bouza. “All we want to do is get steals and fast breaks since we’re a really fast team.”

Golik feels that the team chemistry has been a big part of the season as well, but having the younger players give full effort in practice has been a big reason for the overall team success.

“Our younger players have stepped up a lot in practice and that really pushes our starters,” said Golik.

The Senators aren’t trying to get too far ahead of themselves with an entire Sierra League slate in front of them, but Carson’s eyes are set firmly on the postseason.

“We haven’t won a first (round) playoff game in a couple years so winning that first game will be really big for us. Hopefully, we can go farther than the first round,” Bouza said.

UP NEXT: Carson (10-3) will begin Sierra League play Tuesday at Galena (3-10).