Douglas High boys basketball
Douglas High's Jac 'JC' Reid lofts up a shot during his 17-point performance Tuesday night against Bishop Manogue. It was the Tigers' first win over the Miners since 2015.
Photo by Ron Harpin.
Tuesday marked the first time Douglas has beaten Bishop Manogue since Jan. 20, 2015.
Six years ago, the Tigers snuck out a one-point win.
This past Tuesday was a completely different story as Douglas was fully in charge over the course of the meeting, winning 72-53.
The victory is the Tigers seventh in a row and marks the second time this season Douglas has put together a winning streak of seven games.
With Friday comes another challenge in Spanish Springs, who has yet to lose in Class 5A league play this season (17-5, 13-0).
The Tigers had a chance to hand the Cougars their only loss of the season in Minden a couple weeks ago, but fell 74-70 in overtime.
A win Friday will put Douglas in charge of its own destiny toward a first-round bye and a top-two seed in Northern Nevada Class 5A.
“We have to worry about one game at a time. Obviously, this game Friday against Spanish Springs is a big one,” said junior JC Reid.
For head coach Corey Thacker, he still feels like the Tigers are putting together the pieces for a complete win, despite very much looking the part Tuesday on their home floor.
“I thought the kids came out and played hard the entire time. I think one of the first times we’ve had almost 32 minutes of solid basketball. We still have some ways to go in order to get that,” said Thacker. “I know we’re not going to get perfection, but we are going to strive for it.”
Against Manogue, Douglas shot 50 percent from the floor as a team and quickly jumped out to a 15-6 lead.
Chris Smalley landed the opening punch, slamming home a transition dunk to prompt the Miners’ first timeout.
The second quarter was much of the same as Douglas powered its way out to a double-digit lead, closing the half with a Kasen Boggs triple at the buzzer.
Late in the third quarter, Boggs put together a 7-0 run of his own to give Douglas a 47-31 lead.
Reid euro-stepped around a defender for a bucket in the final 60 seconds that lit the Tiger faithful up.
A 19-point lead at the end of the third quarter stayed that way throughout the fourth.
“If the kids keep working and believe in each other. That’s all we can ask for,” said Thacker. “I thought DJ staying in front of guys was big because he had some tough assignments.”
Dakota Jones ended his night with three points, five rebounds, four assists and five steals.
He turned several steals into quick and uncontested transition buckets for the Tigers.
The last time the Tigers were a top seed in the regional tournament was 2013, but Douglas wasn’t able to turn that into a state tournament appearance after losing in the opening round to McQueen.
The last time the Tigers made the state tournament was 2012, but the Douglas boys are certainly showing they’ve got the talent to return for the first time in nearly a decade.
“We’ve got to defend. Spanish Springs is a good defensive team. We have to make sure we get stops,” said Thacker. “They’re a great team and they’re well coached. Going into their place is a big assignment.”
With three games left this season – all of which are league games – winning out will give Douglas a first round bye and leave the Tigers needing one postseason win to earn another shot at the state tournament.
UP NEXT: Douglas travels to Spanish Springs Friday night for a 7 p.m. tip. You can find live updates on Twitter – @CarterEckl.
A full recap can be found Friday night on www.recordcourier.com/sports
