Fallon senior Tyler Austin launches a 3-pointer in Fallon’s 48-40 loss to Wooster on Thursday.
The Greenwave boys basketball team tried to rally from a 20-point hole in the second half but came up short in a 48-40 loss to Wooster to open the Northern 3A regional quarterfinals at Lowry High School.
With the loss, there will be a new state champion for the first time in three years after Fallon won back-to-back titles over Elko.
Wooster was the only 3A West team to win its quarterfinal from both the boys and girls side as the 3A East swept all four girls contests, including top-ranked South Tahoe falling to No. 4 Fernley.
In what looked like it could result in a lopsided loss, Fallon didn’t quit.
Wooster expanded its lead to seven in the second quarter but the offense turned it up a notch after
halftime. The Colts led by double digits for most of the half until Fallon began its comeback.
Brady Alves hit a 3-pointer off a screen in front of the team’s bench to trim the margin to 43-38 with 1 minute, 6 seconds left in the game. Fallon stole the inbound pass but missed multiple scoring opportunities before needing to foul Wooster with 56.7 seconds left. The Colts hit the front end of a one-and-one at the free throw line to extend the lead to six.
Like the previous possession, Fallon couldn’t convert after Tyler Austin missed an NBA-range 3-pointer. Wooster hit a pair of free throws to push the lead to 46-38 but Fallon responded with 26.8 seconds left and down by six. Wooster hit two more free throws to seal the win.
Wooster hit two 3’s to open the first quarter before Austin pulled up for a mid-range jumper to get Fallon on the board. The Colts responded with an offensive rebound that led to a basket underneath to extend the lead to 8-2 with six minutes left in the quarter. A fadeaway near the free throw line with 4:45 left pushed Wooster’s lead to eight points, prompting Fallon to call a timeout.
Down 10-2, Fallon scored just under the four-minute mark to trim the deficit to six points. Both teams traded baskets before Kanigh Snyder and Austin scored on the last two possessions to trim the deficit to 14-10 after one quarter.
