FALLON - Eleven girls who have played against each other in their high school careers discovered the quirks of life Tuesday night during the fourth annual Fallon Optimist High School All-Star Basketball Classic at the CCHS Gym.
The annual games spotlight graduating seniors who were either first or second team all-league picks or honorable mention.
Even though they represented eight different prep programs, the girls meshed together like a well-oiled machine. Head coach Michon Schmidt of Lowry, the state runner-up in the Class 3A basketball championship several months ago, enjoyed the thrills of Tuesday's game.
"The girls were fighting. The transition worked. We got the easy layups and the defense picked some good steals," she said after her East team edged the West 55-51.
Watching the team warming up gave Schmidt a satisfied feeling of how well the players were working with each other and communicating.
"There was no distinction (among the different athletic classes). They played great and all had a great time," Schmidt pointed out.
A dog fight ensued from the opening tip off through four quarters of high school basketball. Even though this was a season-ending all-star game, Schmidt was impressed with the hustle from both teams of how girls would crash the boards for rebounds or dive after loose balls.
Arena Tipja (Pyramid Lake) swished a quick trey in the opening seconds of the first quarter to give her team a quick lead. Douglas High's Julie Gingrich cut the lead with a short basket.
The West began to gradually pull away on Raveon Harrowa's (Reed) inside layup and Kaylee Rowan's (North Tahoe) shot jumper.
Tana Gurule (Hawthorne) tied the game midway through the quarter on a baseline shot, but the West roared back on Rowan's top of the key trey for a 12-9 lead.
Coty Feest (Reno) sliced the lead to a point before the West regained the lead and took a 15-13 lead into the second quarter after Crissy Gorder (Wooster) pushed a two-handed jump shot towards the basket that went in as time expired.
A low scoring quarter marked the second period, but the East made its moved and tied the game with less than five minutes left before halftime on Kenya Kitten's (Wooster) fast break layup.
Magen Duffarena (Lowry) and Daphne Smart (McDermitt) then scored back-to-back baskets for a three-point lead.
Duffarena had a difficult time playing calm in Tuesday's game.
"I was all revved up and couldn't calm down," said the Lowry star who led the team with nine points.
Harrowa and Rowan combined for four last minute points, and Fernley's Kaylea Dunn's basket off a steal near the end of the quarter sliced the East's lead to 25-24.
The lead changed hands three times and the score was tied twice in the third quarter.
Gurule tallied a pair of buckets for the East while Yerington's Kathy Keats and Fernley's Walita Querta kept the West squad from evaporating.
Gingrich stopped the West's scoring spree with a layup.
The East squad made its calculated move in the fourth quarter and took the lead on Duffarena's one-handed pump shot, 44-43. After Querta responded with a basket of her own, the East squad went back to work on Feest's bucket and Gurule's two-point basket.
Schmidt, who has coached Duffarena for several years, said her Lowry senior keyed four offensive rebounds and "kicked them out" to the wings.
"She's going to bigger and better things," Schmidt said.
Duffarena has signed to play basketball at Albertsons College.
The West came within one point several times in the final minute of play until Gurule sunk a free throw and hit a key three-pointer at the buzzer.
Gurule said the last 3-pointer made up for her missed free throws. She said the all-star game was fun.
"I played with girls I played against all year," she said.
West coach Ralph Dunn said it was a good game.
"I was expecting a close game like this," he said after the game.
