Winter weather has delayed the start of the Sierra League season for the Carson High School boys and girls basketball teams.
Both programs were scheduled to tip off league play today against Hug, but all games were postponed because Washoe County schools remain closed due to the effects of a snowstorm that hit the region last week. Games for the varsity teams have tentatively been rescheduled for Wednesday - weather allowing - with the girls set to play at 5:15 p.m. and the boys at 7. None of the J.V. or freshmen games will be made up.
The delay may come as a benefit for the Carson boys, who were hobbled by injuries last week when they lost four straight games at the Las Vegas Prep Tournament.
The Senators (4-12) lost to Cheyenne (Las Vegas) 51-31, Cienega (Vail, Ariz.) 50-48, Upland (Calif.) 63-51, and Canoga Park (Calif.) 64-60. Worse yet, senior swingman Brian Welch sustained a foot injury against Cienega that sidelined him for the rest of the tournament. Welch's status remains day-to-day.
There's also a chance guard Kevin Brush could be ready to play on Wednesday, according to coach Bruce Barnes. Brush has been sidelined for the past month by an eye injury.
"In that aspect, this (weather delay) helps give us some time to recover from some bangs and bruises," Barnes said. "It also helped because we still seem to have some heavy legs after playing in Vegas."
Understandable. In addition to playing four games against quality opponents, the Senators got caught in adverse weather that left them stranded Thursday night at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. The team didn't arrive in Reno until after noon on Friday.
Despite losing four straight games, there were some positive points, Barnes noted.
"If anything else, it helped us prepare for league because we got to see some good competition and we got to see a little bit of everything," he said.
For instance, Barnes said the Senators faced extreme height in their two-point loss to the Cienega Bobcats, who put players on the floor at 6-foot-10, 6-8 and 6-7.
"That was a game we could have won," Barnes said. "We had our chances, but they won it on a layup at the end."
He also felt the Senators could have won their final tournament game despite falling behind 18-2 at the outset against Canoga Park.
"They're talented, but that was a game we could have won," Barnes said.
Carson also played Cheyenne tough through one half before the Desert Shield used their uptempo style to run away in the second half. And Upland - a program that produced Kirk Snyder, a star for the University of Nevada who now plays for the Utah Jazz - may have been the most talented team of all.
"I thought they were the best team we played," Barnes said of Upland. "They're going to be very good in another year because they're still pretty young, but they have two of the better guards we've seen all year," Barnes said. "They're very similar to Hug."
And Hug (11-5) figures to be one of the better teams in the Sierra League this season with a cast that includes three-sport standout Isaac Porter, guard Darrell Feemster and talented sophomore Armon Johnson.
"I've seen them play a few times already and they're a typical Hug team - very athletic and they really get after you on defense," Barnes said. "They pretty much live on defense and transition baskets."
Contact Dave Price at dprice@nevadaappeal.com or call 881-1220.
