Lady Wave tops Dayton, Lowry

The Lady Wave crushed Dayton’s Lady Dust Devils on senior night Friday, 50-12.

Fallon quickly took the lead, opening to 25-2 by the end of the first quarter.

Fallon coach Anne Smith said the first quarter went well with lots of points being scored.

“That kind of set the tune for the first half ... everyone did well,” Smith said, adding it was a good start with strong defense and rebounding.

Caitlyn Welch led the Wave with 11 points, including three 3-pointers. Close behind her were Lailani Otuafi and Madi Whitaker with eight each. Kaitlyn Hunter and Lorynn Fagg each scored five, Shelbi Shultz and Leta Otuafi scored four, Faith Cornmesser scored three and Chandler McAlexander scored two.

As the final home game of the season, before the game started the five seniors on the team were recognized before the crowd — Faith Cornmesser, Hannah Evans, Hannah Hitchcock, Kaitlyn Hunter and Caitlyn Welch. The game opened with the seniors as starters and at least one senior was in play at all times.

Smith said this has been a great group of seniors and it will be hard losing them next year. She recalled it was an emotional night for everyone.

“Hopefully they’ve learned something from basketball they can use in the rest of their lives,” Smith said.

Fallon also traveled to Winnemucca Saturday, taking on Lowry’s Lady Buckaroos. The game ended with a Lady Wave victory, 65-39.

Fallon came out strong in the first quarter, doubling Lowry’s points, 22-11. Fallon extended its lead in the second quarter taking a 37-24 lead at halftime. The Lady Wave’s defense crushed Lowry in the second half, keeping them under 10 in both quarters.

Smith said it was an equally emotional game, but for different reasons. She said Lowry is always a tough competitor and their history in basketball has a strong rivalry.

The coach said she was thrilled with the first quarter; the Wave brought a great defense with a strong offensive start. Smith said it set the tone for the second half with lots of strong plays.

“I think there were too many offensive threats,” she said of Fallon keeping Lowry’s defense busy.

Smith said Fallon maintained good control of the boards.

Welch and Lailani Otuafi led the Wave with 18 and 17 points each.

The Wave plays again this weekend, closing out the regular season against Sparks and South Tahoe on the road. They play Sparks at 6 p.m. Friday and South Tahoe at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Fallon girls will enter playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the north with a bye next Thursday; their first regional game will be Friday.

Smith said they’re ready and just have to work on a few things. She said they need to keep rested and keep their heads in a good place.