Carson girls basketball wins postseason opener

With back-to-back losses to Reed this season, Carson High School girls basketball knew they were going to have a challenge in the Class 4A North regional play-in game Monday.

The Senators avenged both losses in the regular season with a 46-36 win over the Raiders to move into the quarterfinals of the regional tournament.

Carson will be back in action this evening against top-seeded Bishop Manogue in Reno.

The Miners have beaten Carson twice this season by finals of 61-27 (Jan. 9) and 88-51 (Feb. 6).

Postseason win

It was essentially a wire-to-wire win for Carson as the Senators led 16-8 after the opening quarter.

Carson held that same eight-point lead after three quarters, staying in front, 36-28.

Reed cut it to five, 41-36, with 3:11 to play, but it was as close as the Raiders would get.

Lauren Finnerty pushed the lead immediately back to eight with a triple on the Senators’ next possession down the floor.

Over the final 3:11, Carson held Reed scoreless in order to secure the win.

“We had to get to the rim and start causing fouls,” said Carson interim coach Nate Tolbert. “Defensively, being able to adjust how we played – cause we knew their point guard was going to attack us. That was a great adjustment for the girls.”

Junior Kiele Franco felt the difference Monday night came from the team chemistry that has been building through the final weeks of the season.

“We’ve been building together as a team over the season. This was huge,” said Franco. “It’s greater than anything we’ve ever experienced. This is my second year on varsity and the change is drastic.”

In order to hang with Manogue, Franco emphasized the same point that earned them the program’s first postseason win since 2020.

“We just have to keep working together and working hard,” said Franco.

(Carson High guard Ashley Waiksnoris dribbles around a Reed defender Monday night. / Carter Eckl)