Carson High puts its 14-game win streak on the line Wednesday (7 p.m.) against Reed in the opening round of the playoffs at Morse Burley Gym.
Carson, the champions of the Sierra League, went 16-0 in league and 22-5 overall. Reed, the No. 4 seed in the High Desert, went 4-12 in league play and 7-17 overall.
The Senators won the first meeting between the schools, 52-34, in late December thanks to 16-point efforts by Asa Carter and Jayden DeJoseph. The early season win makes the Senators a prohibitive favorite, but coach Carlos Mendeguia discounted that.
“Coaches have talked a lot about parity in this league,” Mendeguia said. “I believe any team can beat anybody (in the playoffs). This is not going to be an easy first-round game. They obviously are much improved. They had a close game against McQueen and led Reno by 12 before losing. They are playing with a lot of confidence.
“We’ve been taking it pretty easy in practice the last couple of days to save our legs.”
The boys playoff teams, to get to the finals, will have to play three games in four days, which isn’t an easy task. Carson has relied essentially on eight players since Christmas.
The Raiders, under first-year coach Zach Sanford, have been up and down. They lost to both North Valleys and Hug, but gave McQueen and Reno trouble at times.
Reed is led by juniors Jeremy Ramos (15.1) and Lincoln Turner (16.7). Turner shoots 42 percent from the floor and Ramos is at 39. Both have good quickness and both have more than 40 3-pointers this season.
“They can shoot the ball from anywhere on the floor, and that creates,” Mendeguia said. “They want to push the tempo. They like to get it and go. They will play five out or four out and one in. They like to penetrate and dish. That is their style. That is Reed basketball.”
Carson is coming off a gritty win over Douglas, as Tez Allen, DeJoseph and Carter scored 18 each with Jared Rooker chipping in nine.
The Senators will have a height advantage, and look for them to exploit Reed on the inside.
The winner of this game advances to the semifinals Friday at 7:15 p.m. against the Spanish Springs-Galena winner.
