Carson boys split in Vegas

LAS VEGAS - Carson High's boys basketball team split two games at the Las Vegas Tournament Monday at Las Vegas High School.

Rancho of Las Vegas topped Carson 60-40 in the morning game, but the Senators bounced back with a 71-38 win over Spring Creek, a Northern nevada 3A squad.

Carson returns to action today at noon at Western High School. The field has been divided into four eight-team brackets, and it will be single elimination the rest of the way.

'We played with a lot of energy (against Spring Creek)," Carson coach Bruce Barnes said. "We created a lot of turnovers and got some transition baskets."

Sophomore point guard Andrew Johnson was particularly disruptive with seven steals and a team-high 16 points.

Pat Smith added 13 points and Chris Steele 10. Carson played the entire fourth quarter with its reserves.

Rancho led by 21 at he half against the Senators thanks to 18 offensive rebounds. The closest Carson got in the second half was 14 points in the third quarter and then Rancho went on a little spurt to get it to 20 again.

"We just didn't board at all," Barnes said. "We didn't do anything to get a body on those guys.

"We didn't shoot the ball that well either. With the exception of the Rancho game, we've played pretty well here."

Smith led Carson with 11 and Brennan Shaffer added seven.