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Despite falling to the league leaders last week, the Greenwave boys and girls basketball teams are in position to advance to the postseason as they start the second half of the 3A North (East) schedule this weekend.
Both squads lost to Fernley last Wednesday before sweeping Dayton two days later. The Fallon boys also notched a non-league win over 4A Galena on Saturday.
The Greenwave travel to Elko County this weekend to take on Elko on Friday and Spring Creek on Saturday. The girls (3-2) swept both teams earlier this month in Fallon (3-2) while the boys fell to Elko but defeated Spring Creek in overtime.
The top-four teams from the 3A East and 3A West advance to next month’s regional tournament. The first round will be at the top seeds on Feb. 12 before the remainder of the tournament concludes at Elko on Feb. 16-17. The top-two teams from the tournament advance to state at Lawlor Events Center.
The girls lead Spring Creek by a half game for third and Elko by 1.5 games for fourth place.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
After sweeping the Elko County schools, Fallon ran into two of the state’s top teams on the road. Fallon fell to Lowry two weeks ago and then ran into the state runner-up on Wednesday, losing 77-23.
The Vaqueros jumped out to a 24-8 lead after one quarter and increased their margin to 27 points at halftime. Fallon scored nine points in the final two quarters.
Sophomore Jada Anastasio led the team with nine points, freshman Karlie Simper added five and junior Vernita Fillmore added four. Fallon shot 20 percent from the floor, including 2-of-17 from the 3-point line, while Fernley shot 61 percent from the field. Simper led the team in rebounding and assists with five and three. Junior Brynlee Nichols and freshman Raegan Johnson each had four rebounds, and senior Zoey Jarrett had three assists.
Fallon snapped its two-game losing streak by overwhelming Dayton, 52-8, on Friday.
Anastasio scored almost half of the team’s points as she led with 21, including three 3-pointers. Sophomore Janessa Bettencourt and Fillmore each scored six points, Jarrett had five, and sophomores Kylee Simper and Lea Williams each had four. Fallon shot better from the floor, finishing 36 percent.
Sophomore Dylan Faught led in rebounds with four, and Bettencourt and Johnson each had three. Fillmore and Jarrett led in assists with three while Jarrett also had a team-high seven steals as Fallon tallied 26.
BOYS BASKETBALL
For the Greenwave boys, they’re in a similar position as they lead Spring Creek by 0.5 games for third. Fallon is ahead of Dayton by two games.
This weekend will be critical for Fallon to stay in third and avoid having to face Hug, which defeated the Wave by 44 points, in the first round of the playoffs.
After a 68-38 loss to first-place Fernley last Wednesday, Fallon defeated Dayton, 60-31, on Saturday before beating Galena, 54-43, in Fallon on Saturday.
In the Fernley loss, senior Brady Alves led the team with seven points, while junior Trevor Hyde had six, and senior Baylor Sandberg, junior Braden Sorenson and freshman Calin Anderson each added five. Sandberg and Anderson each led the team in rebounds with five, Hyde had four, and sophomore Wyatt Peek and Alves each had three. Alves also had five assists.
Fallon got back into the win column over Dayton to close out the three-game road trip.
Senior Luke Glinka led the team in scoring with 13 points and Hyde had 12. Sorensen scored nine points, and Sandberg, Peek and Anderson each had eight. Fallon shot 46 percent from the floor.
Sandberg posted a team-high eight rebounds, Alves had seven to go with four assists, and Anderson added six rebounds.
4A-3A MEETING
The Greenwave raced out to a 22-15 lead after one quarter against Galena and were outscored only in the second frame when the Grizzlies trimmed the margin to four points.
Fallon shot nearly 50 percent from the field for the second game in a row as Alves and Hyde paced the scoring with 15 and 11 points, respectively, and both shooting 71 percent. Alves also hit three 3-pointers, while Sorensen made one to finish with nine points, and Sandberg added seven.
Glinka and Alves each had four rebounds, senior Carter Paul and Sandberg each added three, and Anderson, Sorensen, Peek and Hyde each had two. Alves led the team in assists with six and Anderson had a team-high three steals.