Carson High, fresh off its league-clinching win over Wooster on Tuesday night, travels to Reno today to take on the Galena Grizzles (7 p.m.) in a key Sierra League boys basketball game.
Carson, 19-5 overall, enters the game 13-0 while Galena is third at 8-5. The Grizzlies are trying to catch second-place Bishop Manogue and secure a first-round home game for the upcoming playoffs.
Asa Carter leads Carson’s offense at 14 a game followed by Jayden DeJoseph at 13 and Tez Allen at 10.5. Galena’s offense is led by Dillon Voyles and Zach Williams at 16.9 and 16.3, respectively. Noah Peck, a good 3-point shooter, averages 8 points a contest.
If past matchups are any indication expect to see Carter on Voyles and Allen on Williams when Carson is in a man-to-man defense. Galena had some success with its 1-2-2 zone defense that had the 6-7 Williams at the top. Carson won the earlier match-up, 60-54, rallying from a 10-point third-quarter deficit.
Carson’s girls, coming off a win over Wooster, play Galena at 5:15 p.m. The Senators can close Galena out for the fourth spot with a win tonight. Carson is 5-8 in league and the Grizzlies are 2-11. After tonight, Carson finishes with league-leading Manogue and on the road at third-place Douglas.
Dayton hosts Truckee
The Dust Devils, coming off a tough loss against Fernley, host the Wolverines at 7:30 p.m. Dayton will be looking for a season sweep, as the season winds down.
The Dayton girls, led by Angela Sikora, host Truckee at 6 p.m.
JC BASEBALL
Peters sparks WNC
HENDERSON — Allowing just one hit through the first six innings, Western Nevada College could have expected to hold a lead against 13th-ranked Cochise on Thursday.
Not so, as the Apaches used some aggressive baserunning to build a two-run advantage. But one swing of D.J. Peters’ bat swung the momentum in the Wildcats’ favor in the seventh inning, driving WNC to a 6-4 nonconference victory in the first of four games between the clubs.
Peters’ laser shot over the left-field fence for a three-run homer completed the scoring, helping the Wildcats end a two-game losing streak and improve to 2-3.
“It was perfect timing,” Peters said. “With runners on second and third and down by a run, I just wanted to hit something hard into the outfield so the two runs would score to put us ahead. I barreled it up and hit a line drive that I wanted to; it just so happened that I hit it hard enough for it carry out.”
Sophomore catcher Tim Lichty made his season debut, contributing a run-scoring single during the winning rally.
“Having Tim back in the lineup was awesome,” WNC coach D.J. Whittemore said. “God blessed some people to hit, and he was one of them.”
Sophomore pitcher Jordan Dreibelbis and starter Jordan Ragan handcuffed the Apache hitters for most of the afternoon, holding them to two hits. Ragan, a freshman left-hander, threw 3 1/3 hitless innings, but the Apaches scored twice on him by executing an intentional rundown with baserunners on first and third bases.
Dreibelbis surrendered a solo homer to Adam Delacruz with two outs in the fifth to push Cochise in front, 3-2, but then settled in to dominate the Apache hitters. However, a two-base error by Dreibelbis on a pickoff attempt in the sixth permitted Taggart Baxter to cross the plate, making the score 4-2.
But in the seventh, the Wildcats took advantage of their baserunners. With courtesy runner Justin Mannens on third base and Chandler Barkdull on second with one out, Lichty connected for a RBI single to draw the Wildcats a run closer. Then, Peters surprisingly got a pitch to his liking, lining his second homer of the season, putting the Wildcats in position to win.
WNC (2-3) and Cochise will play a doubleheader at noon Friday.
Courtesy of Western Nevada College
SKIING
Carson 7th at Diamond Peak
Bailee Barber finished 27th in the latest Tahoe Basin Ski League race at Diamond Peak. Taylor Jenkins was 36th, Anna Glenn 42nd and Kerstin Law 45th. The Senators finished with 76 points, 38 behind sixth-place Whittell.
On the boys side, Karson Law was 39th, Matt Gunkel 40th and Brennan Peterman 44th. The boys finished with 48 points.