Fallon sophomore Kylee Simper looks to pass against Fernley on Friday.
Photo by Tony Erquiaga.
The Greenwave girls basketball team qualified for its first postseason in four years and topped it off with its first playoff win since the triple-crown feat.
After finishing third in the 3A East, Fallon knocked off the 3A West’s No. 2 seed, South Tahoe, 61-49, on Feb. 12 before falling to 3A East No. 1 Fernley, 61-40, to end the season on Friday in Elko.
Fallon finished with its best record (19-8, 6-4 league) since winning it all in Las Vegas in 2019, the end of three consecutive state championships. 3A East No. 2 Lowry defeated Fernley on Saturday for the regional title and both advanced to this week’s state tournament in Reno. Lowry, which fell to Fernley twice during the regular season, defeated the Lyon County school in last winter’s state championship.
After putting up six points to trail by four in the first quarter, Fallon’s offense got rolling with a 20-point second quarter against South Tahoe to take a two-point lead at halftime. The Wave outscored the Vikings the rest of the way to win by 12 after defeating the lake school during the regular season in December.
Junior Vernita Fillmore led a trio of scorers in double figures with 13 points on 80 percent shooting, sophomore Jada Anastasio scored 12 and senior Zoey Jarrett added 11. Senior Madasyn Moyle and freshman Kortnie Simper each scored six. Anastasio and Jarrett each hit a pair of 3-pointers.
Jarrett led the team in rebounds with seven, freshman Raegan Johnson had six, and freshman Karlie Simper and Fillmore each had four. Anastasio had a team-high five assists while Jarrett led in steals with five.
A pair of underclassmen led Fallon in the loss to Fernley, which was the closest margin of the series this year.
Johnson and Anastasio each scored 11 points, Jarrett had eight, including a pair of 3-pointers, and sophomore Lea Williams added six. Sophomore Janessa Bettencourt led the team in rebounding with nine boards, including four on offense, Jarrett had five, and Johnson and Kortnie Simper each added four.
Jarrett, Anasasio and Kylee Simper each had two assists, and Anastasio had a team-high four steals.
FALLON BOYS GIVE HUG A BATTLE
After leading by a point at halftime, the Fallon boys basketball team fell short of upsetting the 3A West’s top team on Feb. 12.
Fallon, which lost to Hug by more than 40 points two months ago, came up short with a 47-40 decision in the regional quarterfinals in Reno.
Fallon ended the season at 13-14 after finishing fourth (5-5) in the 3A East. Fernley, the top seed in the 3A East, defeated Elko on Saturday to win the regional championship. Both Fernley and Elko, which defeated Hug on a last-second shot, advanced to the state tournament together for the third-straight year.
Senior Brady Alves led the team with 17 points, including three 3-pointers, and freshman Calin Anderson also buried a trio of 3’s to finish with nine. Junior Trevor Hyde scored six points as Fallon shot 46 percent from the floor.
Senior Luke Glinka had a team-high five rebounds, including four offensive boards, Hyde had four and Alves added three. Alves also led the team in assists with five and had two steals. Senior Carter Paul also had a pair of steals.
Going into the final quarter, Hug regained the lead and had a six-point margin after hitting a pair of free throws when senior Baylor Sandberg fouled out. With two minutes to go, Anderson hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 35-32. The Hawks, though, extended their lead to nine points after a couple of missed attempts from Fallon.
Alves hit a bucket with 37 seconds left to cut the gap to seven but junior Braden Sorensen fouled out, and the Hawks hit a pair of free throws. Alves nailed a long 3 with 13 seconds left to slice the deficit to five but a Fallon foul led to Hug icing the game with two free throws.