By DARRELL MOODY
Nevada Appeal News Service
RENO - Douglas High basketball coach Keith Lewis had hinted all week that his team had problems playing at North Valleys, and that he expected a much-tougher game from the Panthers this time around.
In the first half, especially the first quarter, the Tigers made Lewis look like a prophet. Douglas hit 1 of 15 from the floor in the opening eight minutes, and ended the half with a 7-for-35 effort.
You would expect the Tigers to be trailing by a wide margin, but instead they trailed only 23-21 thanks to a 12-5 run in the final 2:26 as Keith Olson scored nine of his game-high 17 in that span.
Douglas finally warmed up in the second half, and thanks to a solid defensive effort which held the Panthers to 14 points, went on to a 51-37 Sierra League victory Friday night.
The win gives the Tigers a 5-2 record heading into their toughest week of the season. They play South Tahoe Tuesday at home, and then have road games at Hug and Reno on Friday and Saturday.
"We never play well up here," Lewis said. "When you shoot 7 for 35 in most situations you're going to get blown out of the water. You're not around to even think about that (a win).
"We did a great job defensively, and that was the saving grace until we got untracked offensively."
Olson, despite scoring 17 points and pulling down 17 rebounds, had difficulty at times on the offensive end. He went 7-for-25 from the field, a season-low, and had at least a half-dozen shots blocked by the Panthers' defense. To his credit, he stayed active on the offensive board and followed in several missed shots.
"I think he got bumped a lot," Lewis said. "Just because you're 6-9 doesn't mean they can bump you around. He is going to have to finish (those shots)."
Despite improved shooting in the second half, Douglas led just 35-31 after three periods, and the Panthers stayed close until Douglas went on a 11-1 run in a 92-second span to take a 51-34 lead with 3:18 left in the game.
Olson started the surge with a free throw and a bucket, the latter coming off a nice pass from Nick Summers. Pat Carlson roared down the lane and hit a floater, and then Olson followed in a missed shot. Summers completed the surge with a jump shot from the top of the key.
DOUGLAS GIRLS 53, NORTH VALLEYS 36
After a sloppy first half, the Tigers used the second-half scoring of Brittany Puzey, Erin Brinkmeyer and Andrea Bryant to subdue the Panthers for the second time this year.
The trio combined for 22 of the Tigers' 27 points over the final two periods. Puzey scored nine of her 11 in the final 16 minutes, Brinkmeyer seven of her team-high 13 and Bryant six of her season-best eight points.
"We had a good second half," Douglas coach Werner Christen said. "We were a little sloppy in the first half. We didn't make many good decisions then.
"We mixed up our defenses tonight, and that's not always easy to do, but the girls did a good job."
The Tigers took control in the waning seconds of the first half and the first six-plus minutes of the third quarter, outscoring the Panthers 16-3 en route to a 40-23 lead with 1:45 left.
Freshman Dana Pardee ended the half with a nice layup on a feed from Jessie Kizer, and she knocked down a free throw early in the period. Puzey and Brinkmeyer scored from close range to make it 31-20.
North Valleys sliced the lead to 31-23, but a 9-0 run restored order. Bryant scored two buckets, while Brinkmeyer and Puzey added two points apiece during the run.
Douglas kept the lead around 20 until the last minute when North Valleys scored the final three points.
