By DARRELL MOODY
Nevada Appeal News Service
SPARKS - Douglas High's two-year run at the NIAA state basketball tournament is history.
Thanks to a 27 percent shooting mark, foul problems throughout the game and some mental lapses midway through the third quarter, the Reno Huskies bounced the Tigers from the playoffs 48-39 in the 4A zone semifinals Friday night at Spanish Springs High School.
Douglas ended the season with a 19-10 record, three of those losses coming to the Sierra League champion Huskies. Reno has beaten Douglas seven straight times, dating back to Douglas' state tourney appearance three years ago.
It was a costly win for the Huskies, however, as starting guard Kaylan King suffered an injury to her left knee, and will miss today's championship game against Reed (4 p.m. at Spanish Springs) and could be out of next week's state tournament.
"It was a good season," DHS coach Werner Christen said after watching his players depart the locker room. "Our goal every year is to get one of the top two spots (in league) and get to state. We fell short this year."
Despite all the aforementioned problems, Douglas found itself tied at 24 with 5:09 left in the third quarter after Julie Gingrich (12 points) knocked down a three ball and Erin Brinkmeyer (16 points) made two foul shots to wipe out Reno's 24-19 halftime lead.
That's when the bottom fell out on the Tigers.
Reno ran off eight straight points, all on layups, to take a 32-24 lead with 3:25 left. Coty Feest, who sparked the Huskies in their last win over DHS, scored twice in the 90-second surge. MacKenzie Butler and Michown Rich added a basket apiece. Feest finished with 20 points.
"I called timeout because I was upset that we didn't come out with intensity," Reno coach Craig Campbell said. "I challenged them, and they responded. They tried to extend their press, and we did a good job against it. That's what got us that eight-point lead."
"We did a horrible job of rotating on the backside," Christen said. "This was something we put in the other day. We missed some assignments, and it wasn't just one person. We didn't get it done in those sequences."
Brinkmeyer shaved the lead to 32-28 with two straight hoops after Reno turnovers, but a three-pointer from the right corner by Hannah Carlson and a layup at the buzzer by Michown Rich got the lead back to nine, 37-28, after three periods.
Douglas kept grinding, but couldn't make a dent in the lead, failing to convert from the field. Reno put the game out of reach with five straight points to extend its lead to 46-34, and Feest was in the middle of the action with a free throw and basket. Rich added two free throws.
It was Feest who got the ball rolling in the first quarter, scoring the Huskies' first seven points. She banged in another three with 4.1 left in the half to give the Huskies a 24-19 advantage.
It could have been worse. The Huskies were in the bonus early, as four of the five starters had either two or three fouls on them by halftime. The only saving grace was that Reno was only 9 for 19 at the line, allowing the Tigers to stay in the game.
"I've been doing this a long time, and I can't remember having that many fouls called on us in the first half," Christen said. "I don't think I've ever seen a Reno team shoot that bad from the line. That kept us in the game."
Douglas could never get over the proverbial hump, and that's what happens when a team constantly plays from behind.
"In a big game like this, you use your energy quicker," Christen said. "Every possession is so important. It's mentally exhausting."
Another key factor in Reno's win was Rich's defense on Brittany Puzey, who was held without a field goal for the first time this year. Puzey, who averages 13 points a game, finished with just three free throws. Puzey went 0 for 6 from the floor.
"Number one, I think they did a real good job on her," Christen said. "Secondly, she's had a bad quad this week, but I'm not going to use that as an excuse. She had some good looks. Brittany Puzey is one of the reasons why we're here. She was averaging 13 a game, so my hat is off to them."
"I thought Michown did an outstanding job," Campbell said. "Michown has been bouncing around to different positions since Cori Nelson got hurt. She did the same thing to Spanish Springs' top scorer the other night."
