Sparks Tribune
After a regular season that was full of plenty of highs, and a regional tournament that had even more, the state tournament provided just the opposite for a pair of Sparks schools last week.
The Spanish Springs High and Reed High boys basketball teams each earned berths to the state tourney in Reno after battling it out in the regional final just a week prior. The Cougs edged the Raiders 50-49 and got the No. 1 seed from the North while Reed represented the region as the No. 2 seed. Despite the momentum going in, both teams dropped their first game in state and had their seasons ended in the process.
Reed’s stay in the state tournament was a short one as they fell to Durango 70-47 last Wednesday at Lawlor Events Center.
As the No. 2 seed, Reed had a the tougher path to the title and had to open on Wednesday night against Durango High School from Las Vegas, where they fell 70-47. The Raiders battled early before going down 30-15 at half and could never really recover, despite scoring 32 second-half points in the loss.
Reed had 12 players get into the scoring column, but nobody cracked double digits. Neill Baysa and Michael Agee led the team with seven points and Trey Stevens added six.
Spanish Springs had the task of trying to take down basketball giant Bishop Gorman, who entered the tournament as winners of the last eight straight 4A Nevada state championships. The Cougars were outscored 27-4 in the first quarter, and went on to lose 67-17.
Despite the losses, there were plenty of positives to take away from the 2019-20 seasons for Spanish Springs and Reed. The Cougs finished 22-6 overall and 7-1 in league play, winning a regional title in the process. The Raiders had a great season as well, going 20-7 overall, 6-2 in league play and a second place finish in the High Desert League.
Bishop Gorman went on to play Desert Pines in the championship game and won 65-37 to capture their ninth straight state title, tying a national record.
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