Carson boys roll past Wooster

RENO - With the playoffs no longer a possibility, the Carson boys basketball team played for pride and tried to make the last road game its seven seniors would play together a memorable one.

The Senators were successful on both counts Tuesday, taking a 85-50 victory over the Wooster Colts at Craig Congdon Gym at Wooster High School.

All seven seniors - Jack Jacquet (with a team-high 13 points), Bryon Wilson (12), Jake Jeffers (12), Steve Mandoki (eight), Adam Houghton (six), Kevin Brush (three) and Jeremiah Teeter (two) - scored for Carson, which improved to 5-8 in the Sierra League and 11-16 overall with the win.

Darian Andrews scored a game-high 16 points for Wooster, which fell to 0-13, 4-23 with the loss. The Colts also got nine points apiece from Ismael Mendoza and Andrew Spang.

"We came out relaxed and played well and shot well," said Carson coach Bruce Barnes. "All of the things that have been missing came together. Everybody came in and contributed. The second-group guys did a great job."

An explosive 31-point fourth quarter for Carson buried a Colts team that had trailed 54-32 after three periods and all 12 Senators got on the scoreboard.

The Senators came out and set a brisk pace early, jumping to a quick 11-4 lead. Jacquet had nine of Carson's first 14 points and the Senators ran their lead to 20-9 before Wooster cut it to 20-14 on Spang's bucket.

Carson went on a 12-0 run to go up 32-14, a scoring streak in which Jeffers pumped in five points, Brush hit a 3-pointer, junior Zach Weismann converted both free throws and Mandoki got a layup.

Wooster battled back to make it 35-24 at halftime, but that was as close as it would get as Carson went on a 10-0 run to go up 45-24 with 5 minutes, 17 seconds to go in the third.

Freshman guard Matt Rutledge hit a trey to give Carson its largest lead - 37 points - with only 46 seconds remaining. Wilson led the Senators with three baskets from behind the arc.

"It is what it is. Athletes are athletes. No game is bigger than the rest," Barnes said of his team's inspired effort.

That said, the Senators' game with Reno on Friday at Morse Burley Gym may be a little different.

"It's the seniors' last game and it's a game at home," Barnes said. "They want to go out and give the crowd a good game. We're looking forward to it. We want to give a home win to the seniors who've been in the program for a while and give our team a measuring stick of where it's at."

The taller Huskies took a 49-37 victory over the Senators in their first meeting in Reno on Jan. 24.

The Carson-Reno game begins at 7 p.m. on Friday.