MINDEN - Evidently, the Carson High School boys' basketball team learned a good lesson in defeat last Friday against Reno.
The Senators, still stinging from a two-point loss in which they had staged a dramatic second-half comeback that fell just short, continued their momentum right onto the court Tuesday night.
Carson ran away with a 68-40 triumph against Douglas in a battle of Northern 4A Division II rivals before an overflow crowd of more than 1,700.
Lee Biddlecome led the charge, as the 6-foot-9 senior was a force on both ends of the court in helping Carson (10-7) even its division record at 1-1. Biddlecome scored 17 points and was out front in the Senators' game-breaking 24-6 run through the second quarter, yet he described the win as a team effort.
"This feels great. We played well as a team, with a lot of chemistry," Biddlecome said. "The Reno game was definitely a wake-up call. That comeback in the second half helped us realize what we could do when we play as a team."
Carson rallied from a 28-point halftime deficit before losing 56-54 at Reno last Friday. The Senators never had to worry about digging out of any holes this time.
"The kids really got embarrassed at Reno," Carson coach Tom Andreasen said. "They played their hearts out in the second half and still lost, but I think it taught all of us the importance that we have to come out ready to roll."
The Senators did just that against Douglas, thanks to contributions from numerous sources.
"(Nick) Zimmerman, in his first start at guard, scored our first five points to help get us going ... Cody (Longero), (Matt) Leck and (Kevin) Cote rebounded real well ... They played real well as a unit," Andreasen said, pointing out that nine players broke into the scoring column.
"When we bring kids off the bench, we don't miss a beat. That's big, because it always helps when you can keep fresh legs on the court."
It showed in the second quarter, when Carson broke the game wide open. The Senators led 17-9 after the first quarter and then proceeded to score 17 unanswered points over a six-minute span at the outset of the second period.
Back-to-back tip-ins by Biddlecome made it 24-9. Biddlecome then fed an inside pass to Leck for a layup before converting an offensive rebound into a thundering two-handed slam dunk.
All of which quieted a vocal Douglas crowd that early on taunted Biddlecome, who attended classes as a 9th grader at Pau-Wa-Lu in the Gardnerville Ranchos.
"Oh yeah, chanting my name, that got me going," Biddlecome said. "I'm here to win. But the thing that really felt good was the team chemistry."
Vinnie Reymus added a punctuation mark when he turned a steal into an easy layup and then scored again moments later on a baseline drive to extend Carson's lead to 34-9.
There was no doubt about the outcome after that.
"My hat's off to Carson," Douglas coach Keith Lewis said. "Lee showed what he can do ... I was impressed with their guard play. They were physical. And when we gave them open looks, they hit the shot. They just beat us in every aspect of the game."
Reymus also scored 13 points for the Senators, including a pair of 3-pointers in the second quarter, while Cody Longero added 12 and Zimmerman nine. Seth Lee led Douglas with 11 points, seven of which came in the first quarter.
"The bottom line is, we have to regroup and come back and play well Friday out in Fallon, and that's not going to be an easy game," Lewis said.
Carson entertains Hug on Friday in another Division II contest.
JUNIOR VARSITY
Carson surged to a 23-point lead after three quarters, but needed to stave off a furious Douglas comeback in the final period to hang on for a 56-53 victory.
Ryan Buttner scored 26 points to lead Carson (2-0 in Division II, 15-1 overall) 19 of which came in the first half as the Senators took a 35-15 lead. The Senators led 48-25 at the end of the third quarter.
But the Tigers came roaring back to score 28 fourth-quarter points and cut the final deficit to three.
Will Thomas led all scorers with 28 points for the Tigers, nine of which came in the fourth quarter. Kern Jameson also scored 12 for the Tigers.
Adam McKenzie also scored 12 points for Carson, including a pair of 3-pointers, and Josh Carter added eight.
