Prep basketball action tonight

So, where does the Carson High girls basketball team stand in regard to the Sierra League race? The Senators should have some answers to that question - and a logjam at the top of the league should loosen up at the same time - after playing their top two rivals in games tonight and Saturday.

Carson is 3-0 in league (8-7 overall) coming into a 5:15 p.m. test tonight at home against defending league and Northern 4A region champion Reno (2-0, 11-4), followed by a contest Saturday afternoon at 3:15 p.m. against arch rival Douglas (2-0, 14-4) in Minden.

"We're going to have to really step it up," Carson coach Alana Williams said. "Those will be two good tests, that's for sure."

Douglas hosts Wooster in another Sierra League game tonight.

In High Desert League action, Galena (3-1, 12-5) visits first-place Reed (3-0, 12-0) in a battle between playoff contenders. Galena plays host to McQueen (2-1, 9-8) on Saturday.

In the Northern 3A, Fernley (5-0, 7-5) will put its league lead on the line tonight at Incline (1-3, 4-8) in a 6 p.m. game and then the Vaqueros visit Dayton for a 2 p.m. game on Saturday.

On the boys side, the Reno-Carson game tonight will feature two teams jockeying for position in the Sierra League playoff picture and coaches, Bruce Barnes of Carson and Eric Swain of Reno, who were teammates during their playing days at Carson in the 1980s. Reno (2-0, 9-8) has cruised to relatively easy league wins against South Tahoe (75-45) and North Valleys (72-58). Carson (2-1, 6-13) rebounded from a 75-65 loss at home to North Valleys last Friday to rally for a hard-fought 59-56 triumph the next day at South Tahoe.

The Senators are facing a busy stretch in which they play Douglas on Saturday and then come back again on Monday to play another league game against Hug in Reno. Carson opened its league season on Jan. 5 with a 58-53 win over Hug - one of the league's preseason favorites.

The biggest boys game in the North takes place tonight when Galena (3-1, 13-6) visits Reed (3-0, 16-1) for a battle between league title contenders in Sparks. Galena, coming off a 54-37 loss against Bishop Manogue Wednesday, comes back to play McQueen on Saturday.

Yerington (4-2, 13-3), tied for first-place with Dayton in the Northern 3A, visits Sparks (5-3, 6-9) in another key game.