Boys
Reed locks up playoff spot with win at Hug
RENO – At the season’s start, first year Reed boys basketball coach Joe Genung held a “team identity meeting” to 
establish goals for the season.
Among the number of “real cool things” the team came up with, was making the postseason. They can cross that one off.
The Raiders secured one of the High Desert League’s four playoff berths on Tuesday night with a 65-54 road win at Hug. The Hawks (9-16, 4-11) were eliminated from postseason contention with the loss.
“One of their goals was make the playoffs,” Genung said. “And they did it.”
Reed (8-15, 7-8) picked up the win despite playing without one of its best players, Jeremy Ramos, who missed the game due to personal matters. It is the only game is he expected to miss. Lincoln Turner, the team’s leading scorer, was only cleared an hour and a half before tip after a knock to the head over the weekend.
“It’s been a crazy week,” Genung said.
Freshly cleared, Turner went off for a game-high 25 points, including the game-sealing triple with two minutes remaining. After leading by as much as 24 midway through the third, the Raiders struggled with the Hawk’s pressure and saw their lead whittled to 60-48 inside of three minutes left.
Turner then buried his seventh and final three ball of the night to sink the comeback effort.
“Tip your hat to (Hug coach) Keegan (Bosier) and his guys. They kept fighting,” Genung said. “What a game. I’m just glad we had enough internal fortitude to hang on in a situation like that.”
Sophomore Franz Castillo had a big game in Ramos’ absence, scoring 15 points. Matt Williams finished with 10.
“He (Castillo) is one of my favorite guys,” Genung said. “He plays as hard as possible all the time. He’s very selfless and he’s a thinker.”
Reed trailed just once on Tuesday night, 5-4, then went on a 21-4 run spanning into the first minute of the second quarter and never looked back.
The Raiders end the regular season on Friday night with a home game against league champ, Spanish Springs (20-4, 15-0).
An upset victory, or a McQueen loss to Reno paired with either a Douglas loss to Carson or a Hug win over North Valleys will give the Raiders the HDL No. 3 seed heading into the postseason.
“We’re going to let it all hang out. It’s our Senior Night,” Genung said. “We’ll try to do them proud with a strong effort … If we play hard, and we play together, I think we can make some noise.”
Spanish Springs stays unbeaten
It was supposed to be one of the more anticipated regular season games of the year. It didn’t end up working out that way.
Because Spanish Springs locked up the High Desert League title on Friday and Reno secured the No. 2 seed, Tuesday night’s contest at Reno was played almost solely for bragging rights. Well, and for Spanish Springs, the chance to remain unbeaten in 4A North play.
The Cougars did just that, improving to 20-4, 15-0 with a resounding 64-50 win over the Huskies, who dropped to 18-6, 11-5.
The win was Spanish Springs’ 13th straight.
Marcus Loadholt led the Cougs with 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the floor. Jalen Townsell (10 points) also reached double figures and Josh Prizina recorded yet another double-double, finishing with 10 points and a staggering 14 rebounds to go along with four steals and three blocks.
The Cougs took a 33-20 advantage to the locker room and ballooned the distance to 50-29 heading to the fourth.
Spanish Springs has a chance to end the regular season untarnished (in regional play) on Friday night at Reed.
4A North scoreboard
Reed 65, Hug 54
Spanish Springs 64, Reno 50
Douglas 61, Galena 54
McQueen 66, North Valleys 50
Carson 66, Wooster 41
Bishop Manogue 66, Damonte Ranch 34
Girls
Shorthanded Raiders roll over Hawks
RENO – The Raiders were down three starters on Tuesday night at Hug. It didn’t matter.
Without Tori Baer (ankle), Serene Townsell-Williams (illness) and Autumn Wadsworth (illness), Reed cruised to a 60-16 road win that featured running clock the final 17 minutes of play.
“Not having Autumn, some of other guards had to play the point guard position and just knocked down shots,” Reed coach Sara Schopper-Ramirez said. “And the bench got to play. That’s always nice getting everyone in.”
Reed improved to 17-5, 11-4 with its fifth win in six tries – pulling into a tie with Spanish Springs for second place. Hug dropped to 1-19, 0-15.
Taylor Johnson hit a three with 1:07 left in the first half to extend the Raiders’ lead to 41-6, enacting the running clock mercy rule (35-point difference). Johnson led the way with a game-high 23 points, 13 of which came in the first quarter.
The lead methodically swelled in the second half, getting as large as 56 points.
Johnson was the only Raider to reach double figures. Vanessa Hernandez finished with nine. Rionna Haymon scored five points for the Hawks.
Reed concludes the regular season on Friday night at home against Spanish Springs (17-8, 11-4). The winner will open the postseason next Tuesday at home. The loser will hit the road as the High Desert League No. 3 seed.
“I’m excited for it. I think it’s going to be a good game, like it was last time,” said Schopper-Ramirez whose Raiders snuck out a 58-53 road win at Spanish Springs two weeks ago. “If our girls come out shooting well, good things will happen.”
Schopper-Ramirez hopes to have Townsell-Williams and Wadsworth back for the game. Baer has already been ruled out with aspirations of returning for the postseason.
Cougs no match for Huskies
Spanish Springs fell back into a tie for second place with Reed after Tuesday night’s 61-22 road loss to Reno.
The Cougs (17-8, 11-4) end the season at Reed on Friday night with the right to open the postseason at home up for grabs. Reno (22-4, 14-1) wrapped up the High Desert League title with the victory.
Ireland Bennett led the Cougs, who trailed 16-3 after the first quarter and 28-11 at the half, with nine points. Nobody else had more than four.
Reno’s Mikayla Shults was the only player in either uniform to reach double figures, scoring a game-high 18 points – 12 after the half.
Tip at Reed on Friday night is at 5:15 p.m.
4A North scoreboard
Reed 60, Hug 16
Reno 61, Spanish Springs 22
Douglas 43, Galena 40
Carson 43, Wooster 25
McQueen 62, North Valleys 40
Bishop Manogue 74, Damonte Ranch 17
Leave a Reply