Scoreless spell dooms Senators

BY DARRELL MOODY

Nevada Appeal Sports Writer

When the game is on the line, a team can ill afford to go six straight possessions without a point.

Carson went scoreless for three-plus minutes, and Galena went on an 8-0 run en route to a 49-45 Sierra League victory Friday night at Morse Burley Gymnasium.

The loss was Carson's second straight, dropping the Senators to 3-2 in league play and 9-7 overall. Galena improved to 3-2 in league.

"Obviously we shot the ball miserably, inside and outside." Carson coach Bruce Barnes said. "I remember nine second-chance points that I know of. We didn't do some of the little things. We got some open looks, we got shots out on the perimeter.

"This was a conference game at home, one we think we should have won. In high school, you need to win at home."

Had it not been for Paul Cagle III, the Senators wouldn't have been close. With the Grizzlies trying to clamp down on Brian Barnes, who finished with 12 points, Cagle was left to shoulder the heavy lifting, and he was up to the task.

Cagle scored 10 of his team-high 20 points in the fourth quarter, and they were all big ones. His field goal with 6:55 left gave Carson a 33-31 lead, and his basket at 4:34 gave Carson its last lead of the game, 39-38.

That's when things went south for the Senators. They went the aforementioned six straight possessions without a point, going 0-for-4 from the floor, missing two free throws and turning the ball over once in that stretch.

Galena's Alex Hansen followed Cagle's basket with one of his own to give the Grizzlies a 40-39 lead, and Ryan Dougherty added two free throws with 2:53 left to make it 42-39.

After Carson's Patrick Smith missed from short range, Victor Walker and Michael Arciniega each hit a free throw to make it 44-39. After Carson missed twice, Walker was fouled and drained two foul shots to make it 46-39.

Then Cagle went back to work. He converted a three-point play, and after Hansen missed two free throws, Cagle nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key to make it 46-45 with 1:04 left.

Arciniega missed two free throws with 42.8 seconds left, leaving the door open for the Senators. Ian Gunn was fouled with 29.3 left, but he missed the front end of a one-and-one situation. Josh Peacock grabbed the offensive rebound, but he lost the ball. Arciniega made a layup to make it 48-45 with 18 seconds left.

Walker came up with a big play when he swatted Matt Rutledge's 3-point attempt from the right corner out of bounds with 10.5 left. Brian Barnes threw up a potential game-tying 3-pointer that was short. Ballgame.

"I think we learned a lot after leading by 20 and losing (at Douglas)," Galena coach Tom Maurer said. "We've got to keep games in the 40s. We did a good job. Carson did a great job the second half. None of our kids played varsity last year. We have to do a better job finishing at the foul line."

Maurer said his defensive plan revolved around stopping Brian Barnes.

"Barnes is one of the best players in Northern Nevada," Maurer said. "Vic did a good job early and Ryan came on late."

NOTES: Carson played the game without senior guard Kalvin Case, who was benched for violating team/school rules. Barnes said he didn't know if Case would play today. Carson returns to action today at Fallon, which knocked off Carson , 55-52, in the finals of the Capital City Classic. Tip-off is 5 p.m.

- Contact Darrell Moody at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com or (775) 881-1281