Damonte Ranch's defense too much for Carson girls in loss

Carson High girls basketball didn’t get the offensive production it was looking for Tuesday night, falling to Damonte Ranch 60-29.

The loss drops the Senators to 1-2 in Sierra League play and leaves Carson tied for fourth behind its last two opponents – Bishop Manogue and Damonte Ranch – as well as its rival to the south, Douglas.

In the first quarter, a couple of missed layups by the Senators gave Damonte Ranch an early chance at taking a quick lead.

By the end of the first, the Mustangs led 13-5 but it was the second and third quarters where Damonte started to distance itself.

The Mustangs used a 2-3 matchup zone and occasional trapping pressure to keep the Senators out of rhythm.

“They ran a matchup zone. We’ve seen some of it on tape, but not in a full court set,” said Carson assistant coach John Paulson. “When we did break it, we missed a lot of shots.”

It was a defense that Paulson admitted gave the Senators issues.

Out of the half, Damonte Ranch showed the same intensity it had in the opening half as it pushed its lead behind an 11-0 run to open the second half.

By the end of the 11-0 run, Carson trailed 38-13 midway through the third quarter.

“They’re a good team. They do a good job and she (coach Erica McKenzie) mixes up her defenses constantly,” said Paulson. “We have to be better prepared next time we see them.”

Carson’s offense, which relies heavily on its defensive production, was never truly able to find the spark it was looking for.

The Senators tried to mix and match defensive looks from a trapping press to sitting back and playing half court man-to-man defense, but never found a true stop to the Mustangs’ offense.

“Each missed shot, we kind of got deflated,” said Paulson. “I think we were a little uncharacteristic on defense. … We reached a lot and fouled a lot tonight. We didn’t really create any turnovers to help our offense out.”

Damonte Ranch ended the night with nine 3-pointers from beyond the arc, according to Paulson.

UP NEXT: Carson (11-5, 1-2) gets another chance for a win at home Friday night against Wooster (6-9, 0-3).

“It’s two rough losses in a row. So we need to get back tomorrow and work on things we can get better at,” Paulson said.