Carson senior Kyle Steele drains a 2-point shot to pick up a double-overtime win in the semifinals of the playoffs against the Manogue Miners.
Carson High’s boys basketball team ended a long drought recently when it won its first league basketball title since 2003.
The Senators will be out to end an even longer drought when it will battle the Galena Grizzlies in the NIAA Division I regional final today at Morse Burley Gymnasium.
Carson, according to school records, hasn’t won a regional basketball title since 1995 when Pete Padgett was head coach. At stake is a berth in next week’s NIAA State Championship at the Orleans Arena.
The teams split the series,each team winning on the road. Galena won 64-42 back on Feb. 6.
Playing at home should give Carson a slight advantage despite the lopsided loss earlier this month. Carson is 9-2 at home this season, losing only to Galena and Spanish Springs.
“Any time you play at home in front of your fans it’s good,” Carson coach Carlos Mendeguia said. “That adds up to three or four points. After that, it’s all about execution.”
Execution is critical in Carson’s patient, disciplined offense, and Galena’s height makes it tough going inside.
Galena is long with four players — 6-7 Zack Lessinger, 6-5 Josiah Wood, 6-5 Dillon Voyles and 6-6 Zach Williams — in the starting lineup. That’s a lot of tall trees to shoot over, meaning Carson’s trio of Tez Allen, Cameron Price and Jayden DeJoseph have their work cut out for them.
“They are a really good team,” Mendeguia said. “They have picked up their intensity on defense (since that first game we played them). They are good inside and outside.”
Carson played a 1-2-2 zone in the first meeting and had success. Galena adjusted to it the second time around, going to a 2-1-2. Jared Ford hurt the Senators with four 3-point field goals as Galena excelled in the short corner. Besides Ford, Noah Peck can also shoot it from long range.
The Senators need to stay out of foul trouble. Both Asa Carter and Cameron Price missed time in the opening half against Manogue after picking up two fouls, and the Senators need them on the court at all times.
“We’ve had guys in foul trouble before,” Mendeguia said. “Guys have to come in and step up. We’re pretty deep in terms of depth.”
Jace Keema, Dilyn Rooker and Ian Schulz have been the most productive. Keema scored seven in the double-overtime win over Manogue, and he also had seven against North Valleys.
“He’s a great kid,” Mendeguia said. “He comes to practice every day and works hard; a real blue-collar type of player. He plays great team basketball. He shoots the ball when he’s open, and he’s not afraid to bang around inside. “Dilyn gives us a lot of defensive energy out there, and Ian has had some good moments.”
Carson has survived some close calls this year, and Mendeguia credits that to the cohesiveness and the never-say-die attitude the squad has shown throughout the season.
“We’ve done a great job of finishing games,” Mendeguia said. “We had the overtime games against Manogue and the nail-biter against Douglas.”
One key to tonight is playing hard-nosed defense and keeping Galena off the offensive glass. It’s a big job to be sure, but Carson did it the first time around.
NOTES: Carson was in the regional finals two years ago and lost to Hug. Mendeguia said there hasn’t been any talk about that game because Rooker, Price and Kyle Steele were the only varsity players from this year on that squad...The girls championship game will start at 4 p.m. on Saturday ... Because the tournament is in Las Vegas, only the D-1 winners advance to state ... In the 2015-16 season, the top two regional finishers will make state.
