Dayton girls, boys leaders in Northern 3A races

Dust Devils' girls alone in first-place, boys tied after wins against Spring Creek

Appeal Staff Report

Ariella Ruybal and Chanelle Thompson provided a game-turning spark to start the third quarter and the Dayton High girls basketball team took over from there for a key 68-63 victory at home against Spring Creek on Saturday afternoon.

Down 34-29 at halftime, Dayton scored eight unanswered points at the outset of the third to turn the complexion of the game en route to a win that gave the Dust Devils 16-2, 9-2) sole possession of first-place in the Northern 3A.

Dayton, Spring Creek and Yerington came into the day tied for first-place, but Dayton stood alone on top of the pack thanks to its win coupled with Yerington's 65-63 loss against Lowry.

Four players scored in double figures for the Dust Devils, led by Thompson with 24, Brittany Hill with 17, Andrea Pluck 12 and Ruybal 11. Kathie Arias also scored 4 points to round out the team's scoring.

The turning point came immediately after the intermission when Ruybal drained a 3-pointer, then Thompson converted a steal into a layup to tie the score, and Ruybal followed with another 3-pointer to give Dayton a 37-34 lead.

"From that point on, we controlled the pace of the game," Dayton coach Shari Andreasen said.

The Dust Devils led 51-45 at the end of the third quarter.

Dayton's offensive effort was aided by eight 3-pointers, including three each by Ruybal and Thompson and two by Hill.

This was more than an offensive effort, though, as Andreasen gave credit to the team's defense afterward.

"It's a matter of heart for our team," she said. "They really stepped it up defensively and with their rebounding in the second half."

Noelle Laffoon scored 17 points and Andrea Empey 11 to lead Spring Creek offensively. Laffoon, a sophomore guard, connected on five 3-pointers, but three of those came in the first half.

"They worked hard to make sure they knew where she was in the second half," Andreasen said of the Dust Devils' defense against Laffoon.

Another key for Dayton was the inside play of Pluck, who grabbed 19 rebounds to go with her 12 points. Pluck scored 8 in the first quarter.

"I think she is the best rebounder in the league and one of the best in the state," Andreasen said. "I could be biased, but she really is a great rebounder."

The Dust Devils face another important test Wednesday when they host Lyon County rival Yerington. The girls play at 6 p.m., followed by the boys game at 7.

Lowry 65, Yerington 63

A 24-12 run through the third quarter was the difference as Lowry rallied to win at Yerington.

Yerington (23-4, 8-3) led 34-26 at halftime, only to see the Buckaroos come back and take a 50-46 lead at the end of three quarters.

Karrie-Ann Quartz led all scorers with 25 points and Angela Marraccini scored 21 to lead Yerington.

Morgan Thacker and Savannah Carlo scored 19 points each to lead Lowry. Thacker had a trio of 3-pointers.

BOYS

Dayton 57, Spring Creek 42

Tanner Wood had 21 points to lead a balanced offense in which seven different players scored as Dayton completed a sweep of its eastern road trip and moved into a three-way tie for first-place in the Northern 3A.

Dayton improved to 8-3 in league, 15-7 overall coming into a showdown at home against Yerington (8-3, 20-6) on Wednesday. Yerington dropped a 52-49 verdict against Lowry on Saturday to create a three-way tie for first-place with Dayton and Incline.

"The effort was good all weekend," said Dayton coach T.W. Cunningham, whose team won 52-47 at Lowry on Friday. "We put ourselves back in position."

In addition to Wood, Jerrin Foster scored 12 points and Byron Trigueros 7 for the Dust Devils. Wood, a 6-foot-4 junior, also scored 30 in Dayton's win at Lowry on Friday.

Carson JV 52, North Valleys 51

Carson surged to a 32-24 halftime lead and then held on the rest of the way to pick up its Sierra League win.

Michael Lowes scored 17 points, 16 of which came in the first half, to lead the offense for Carson (15-6, 7-4), and Josh Peacock added 11. Wade Siciliano contributed 8, Pat Smith 5, Brennan Shaffer 3, while Ian Gunn, Jeff Davies, Kevin Kurek and Spencer Roberts each scored 2 for the Senators.

Carson frosh 72, No. Valleys 47

Eight different players scored during a 26-12 third-quarter run that helped Carson pull away and stay unbeaten in league play.

Carson (19-1, 11-0) extended its 41-28 halftime lead to 67-40 at the end of three quarters.

Four players scored in double figures and 10 players scored overall.

Chris Steele led the way with 16 points to go with 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Danny Gall also scored 12 points, while Carlos Carrillo and Logan Philippi added 10 each. Trey Jensen also scored 8 points, Tim Dotson 4, MattCooper 4, Johnny Lanuza 2, Tyler Collins 2 and Timmy Miranda 2 to round out the scoring for the Senators.

GIRLS

Carson JV 41, No. Valleys 39

Janet Butler scored 10 points to lead the Senators offensively in their closely contested game against NorthValleys.

Whitney Nash, Natalie Stevens and Kate Schultz combined for 15 steals to lead the defense, while Katie McFarren contributed 5 rebounds.

Carson frosh 49, No. Valleys 25

Carson remained unbeaten in league (11-0, 21-1) with its win against North Valleys.

Ashley Elliot grabbed 8 rebounds, while Marissa Lucido and Jazmine Stokes had 7 each to help the Senators underneath the glass. Kristina Gallegos and Caitlin Sinclair were playmakers with 3 assists each.