Bighorns lacrosse wins 2 of 3

The Oasis Academy boys lacrosse team split Saturday’s doubleheader against Galena and Douglas in Fallon after defeating Reno on Thursday on the road.

In the early game, the Bighorns dropped a tough decision to the first place Galena Grizzlies, 13-10. The Grizzlies maximized their disciplined ball management right from the start, generating most of the shots on goal in the first quarter, keeping the Bighorns on their heels.

The lone goal came from midfielder Josh Carter to keep the score to 3-1 at the end of the first. Galena continued to control the game through the half, but the Bighorns got their opportunities and cashed in on nearly every one of them. They finished the half with a three goal deficit, but in the third quarter, top defenseman Nick Delgado went down with a knee injury, leaving the already depleted Bighorns defense in difficulty for the remainder of the game.

Nevertheless, midfielder Patrick Morrow continued to win key faceoffs, and the ground ball work of midfielders Tristan Rodarte and Samuel Robertson kept the Bighorns within striking distance. In the fourth quarter, the Bighorns took several fouls that derailed the comeback bid, allowing Galena to stall out the quarter and maintain the lead. Carter finished the game with four goals, and Rodarte scored three. Attackman Trey Rooks scored two, and attackman Koda Biggs added one. The loss kept the Bighorns chasing the Grizzlies for first place.

In the afternoon game, the Bighorns defeated the Douglas Tigers, 16-2.

Faceoff specialist Conor Keitz won the opening faceoff, but the Tigers stopped the Bighorns first offensive attack. After the turnover, the Tigers moved the ball up field and scored the first goal of the game off a tipped shot. That would prove to be the final goal for the Tigers until the last minute of the game.

From that point on, the Bighorns put on an offensive clinic. Keitz went on to win six of nine faceoffs, while Patrick Morrow won seven of 10, and Chris Ehlers won three out of three, leading to an overall win percentage of 80% for the Bighorns. Using the faceoffs to power their offense, Josh Carter led the team with five goals. Tristan Rodarte and Koda Biggs both added four each. Trey Rooks scored two, and midfielder Cole Hamlin scored his second of the season.

With time winding down, the Tigers managed to slip another trick show in for their second goal of the game. Goaltender Brenden Leary finished the game with seven saves on nine shots, aided by solid defense from defensemen Stirling Lively, Fearghus Keitz, and Nofoefia Falani and long stick midfielder JayDan Vasquez. Sam Robertson, Tristan Rodarte, and Patrick Morrow led the team in ground balls.

In Thursday’s 15-4 win over Reno, the teams started the night tied for third place in the standings, with the Bighorns coming off the tough overtime loss to Reed.

The first quarter started slowly for the Bighorns. Face-off specialist Keitz won the opening faceoff, but the Bighorns had trouble handling the ball, leading to several turnovers. Reno managed to make Oasis pay for one of those turnovers, scoring the first goal. Goaltender Leary made several key saves through the first quarter to keep the Bighorns in the game, and the period ended with a Reno lead 2-0.

At the start of the second quarter, the Bighorns offense came alive. Face-off specialist Morrow won the first three faceoffs of the quarter, each time resulting in quick Oasis goals. Midfielder Josh Carter scored the first two, followed by a goal by attackman Rodarte. Carter then completed his hat trick, and attackman Rooks scored his first of six goals on the night. The Bighorns ended the half with a 6-2 lead.

Coming out of halftime, the Bighorns offense stayed at full speed. Keitz won the opening faceoff, and Rodarte added another goal. At that point, the rout was on. Rooks added another three goals, and attackman Biggs scored his first of the night.

Entering the fourth quarter, the Bighorns held a 11-2 lead. The Oasis defense of Nick Delgado, Stiring Lively, Nofo Falani, and Fearghus Keitz kept the Reno shots to a minimum, and Leary kept the goal clear for the entire second and third quarters. Reno did manage two goals in the fourth, but the outcome was already settled by that point, with goals from Carter, Rooks, and midfielder Cole Hamlin with his first of the season.

Leary stopped 16 shots on the game for an 80-percent save percentage. Rooks scored six goals on six shots and Rodarte finished with four goals, and Josh Carter with a hat trick.