Lilian Bouza shoots a jump shot against Damonte Ranch on Tuesday.
Carson High’s girls basketball team shot blanks in the fourth period and paid dearly for it.
Carson managed just two free throws over the final eight minutes and dropped a 58-44 decision to Damonte Ranch in a Sierra League game at Morse Burley Gym.
The loss dropped Carson to 2-7 in 4A play, two games behind Damonte. The Senators stand fifth entering Friday’s game against Wooster.
“Rebounding hurt us (the entire game),” Carson coach Melissa Larsen said. “I thought we played a good first half. The second half we didn’t do what we did in the first half. We got frazzled and we couldn’t stop No. 2 (Alexus Hunter).
“We were forcing passes in the fourth quarter. We were only going to the first option, not running the offense through and going to our second or third option.”
Hunter scored 11 of her game-high 26 in the second half.
Carson trailed 46-42 after three, but went scoreless for nearly six minutes. Damonte took advantage, scoring 11 unanswered points.
Hunter started the surge with a 3-pointer. Maile Norton added two free throws, Hunter knocked down two free throws and then Norton and Hunter added a free toss each to make it 54-42 with 4:10 left. Baskets by Hunter and Skylar Nichols increased the margin to 58-42.
Lauren Lemburg scored Carson’s only points of the quarter when she drained two free throws with 2:06 remaining. That would be the last points either team scored.
The Senators went 0-for-9 from the floor in the final eight minutes and turned it over six times.
The final quarter wiped out a good first half by the Senators, who are fighting for their playoff lives right now.
Lily Bouza had 18 of her team-high 22 in the first half. Carson scored the first eight points of the second quarter, but the Mustangs went on a 15-2 surge to take a 29-22 lead midway through the period. Hunter had 13 in the surge, including three 3-pointers to give the Mustangs a 29-26 halftime lead.
Carson tied the game at 40 with less than a minute left in the third quarter on baskets by Haley Garver, Lemburg and Abbey Paulson. A three-point play by Cyril Moore and a three-point play by Alexis Wright gave the Mustangs a 46-42 lead after three, and CHS never recovered.
Lemburg backed Bouza’s effort with 12 points.
JV BOYS BASKETBALL
Senators roll Damonte
RENO — Joey Summers scored 20 to lead Carson to a 70-54 win over Damonte Ranch Tuesday night.
Seth Griffith added 16, Nate Smothers 10 and Will Breeding nine in the victory.
