Fallon senior Colin Shishido pulls up for a shot against Elko on Friday.
Photo by Thomas Ranson.
The Churchill County High School girls basketball team clinched a berth for next month’s regional tournament after sweeping Elko and Spring Creek last week.
But Fallon can still win the 3A East with three games left in the regular season.
Fallon improved to 6-1 in the division after last weekend’s Elko County sweep and heads to Lowry (5-1), which handed Fallon its only league loss of the year. Fallon closes the season next week at Fernley (4-1) and Dayton (0-5).
Scoring was not an issue in last weekend’s games when Fallon defeated Elko, 58-32, on Friday and Spring Creek, 65-24, on Saturday at the Elmo Dericco Gymnasium.
In the Elko win, senior Megan Johnson got the Wave on the board first with a corner 3-pointer in front of the band, and it was all Fallon as it poured in 18 points in the opening quarter. Sophomores Kortnie and Karlie Simper alternated scoring in the second quarter as Fallon increased its lead to 21 points, 33-12, with two minutes left. Sophomore Raegan Johnson scored twice in the final minute with Fallon taking a 39-17 lead at the break.
After a low-scoring third quarter that saw Fallon score four points, the Wave dropped 15 points in the final frame.
Kortnie Simper led the team with 24 points, including three 3-pointers, and Raegan Johnson added 12. Karlie Simper scored eight points, senior Vernita Fillmore had six and freshman Amillya Bishop added four. Karlie Simper and Johnson each had six rebounds, Kortnie Simper led in steals with five, and Karlie Simper had a team-high six assists.
Bishop led the team in scoring against Spring Creek, hitting a pair of 3-pointers to finish with 17 points on 70 percent shooting. Karlie Simper scored 15 points, and Raegan Johnson and Kortnie Simper each had eight.
Senior Brynlee Nichols led the team in rebounds with six, and Johnson and Fillmore each had four. Karlie Simper led in assists and steals with four and six. Fillmore also had six steals.
FALLON BOYS DROP PAIR
The Greenwave boys began the second half of the league season on the wrong foot.
Fallon, which defeated Elko earlier in the month, fell to the Indians, 52-48, on Friday before losing to league-leading Spring Creek, 80-54, on Saturday at the Elmo Dericco Gymnasium.
Fallon dropped to 1-6 in the 3A East and will need to win out and get some help to make the playoffs. Fallon finishes the season at Lowry (1-6) on Friday, then at Dayton (4-2) and Fernley (4-2) next week. Dayton shook up the standings when it upset Fernley last week.
The top four teams advance to the regional tournament.
A first-half run helped Elko (3-4), which defeated Lowry on Saturday, create separation as the Indians held off a late Fallon comeback to win by four points.
Junior Wyatt Peek led Fallon in scoring with 17 points on 71 percent shooting, and sophomore Calin Anderson scored 10 points and junior Barry Mitchell added 10. Senior Trevor Hyde had a team-high six rebounds, Anderson had four and junior Bransyn Wright added three. Anderson led the team in steals with three and Mitchell had a team-high three blocks.
A back-and-forth start to the first quarter, Mitchell’s bucket in the key gave Fallon a 6-5 lead with 3:16 left. Elko went on a 10-0 run capped off by Tallan Delmore’s 3-pointer with 39 seconds to go before Peek hit a pair of free throws to close the gap to seven.
The Greenwave came within four points when Mitchell hit both free throws after he was fouled underneath, but Elko went on another run (7-0) run to regain its large lead. Fallon was down 27-18 at halftime.
After a low-scoring third quarter, Fallon slowly chipped away at the deficit, turning the pressure in the final minute. Peek hit a baseline jumper to bring Fallon to within seven (50-43) with 33 seconds left in the game before Peek stole the pass and was fouled, hitting both free throws.
After Elko hit a pair of free throws, Anderson buried a 3-pointer to cut the gap to four points. Elko stepped out of bounds on the ensuing play but Peek’s 3-pointer fell short as time ran out.
In Saturday’s game, the Spartans raced to a 19-5 lead in the first quarter before Fallon outscored the visitors, 19-18, in the second quarter. Spring Creek, though, outscored Fallon, 29-17, in the third quarter to put the game out of reach.