Carson girls' 'D' smothers Vikings hoops

BY DARRELL MOODY

Nevada Appeal Sports Writer

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE " When the Carson Senators girls basketball team finally decided to play some defense, it took over the game.

After allowing South Tahoe to shoot 66 percent from the floor and score 30 first-half points, the Senators' defense allowed just 18 second-half points and rolled to a 65-48 victory Friday in a Sierra League matchup.

The win snapped a four-game losing streak and gave Carson, 4-4 in league play and 10-12 overall, some momentum heading into Tuesday's home showdown against Bishop Manogue.

"We needed to break that four-game skid," Carson coach Todd Ackerman. "It was nice. They're happy. It's been way too long since we won a game.

"We went to a 1-3-1 zone (in the second half) and they played into our hands. We wanted to trap them in the corner. That was big. We even played a little 3-2 so we could stay on their shooters."

It was certainly effective. South Tahoe, which fell to 2-6 in league, went 12-for-18 in the first half, but went 8-for-34 in the final 16 minutes.

It was still a 42-40 game midway through the third quarter after back-to-back baskets by Terra Bakinger.

Gina Bianchi, who finished with 17 points, drained a 3-pointer to start a quarter-ending 9-0 run. Brandi Vega, who led Carson with 20 points, knocked down two free throws to extend the lead to 47-40. Krista Mattice and Bre Anderson completed the surge with a bucket each to make it 51-40 after three quarters.

South Tahoe's offense continued to sputter, and Carson opened the fourth quarter with five straight points to up its lead to 56-40 with 5:39 remaining in the contest. Tiffany O'Day scored in the lane and Vega added a basket and free throw. The Vikings never got closer than 14 points the rest of the game.

"Carson did a great job," South Tahoe's Chris Holmes said. "We're best when we're in transition. We stopped moving offensively early in the second half."

The first half was a different story, however, from a defensive point of view.

South Tahoe did a solid job in transition, while Carson did a poor job contesting shots. Alexis Holmes scored 12 of her game-high 22 in the first half. The Vikings shot 66 percent in the first half (12-for-18).

"They shot it well," Ackerman said. "We gave up some easy baskets. We didn't turn around and run back."

The first 16 minutes featured six ties and nine lead changes. Carson shot 46 percent from the field, mainly on the strength of seven 3-point field goals, which was enough for a 36-30 halftime lead.

Carson guard Yvonne Hollett, making her first start in conference play, scored seven points, all in the first quarter, and Whitney Nash threw in two 3-point field goals, both in the second quarter.

"Yvonne gave us some points," Ackerman said. "Whitney came in and hit a couple of shots which was big."

The game was tied at 22-all with 5:22 left, but baskets by Terra Bakinger and Holmes gave the Vikings a 26-22 lead with 4:26 remaining.

Bianchi hit one of her four first-half 3-pointers to trim the lead to 26-25, but South Tahoe's Eunice Romero retaliated for a 28-25 lead with 3:09 left.

The Vikings drew a blank the rest of the half, going 0-for-3 from the floor and turning the ball over three times.

Carson reeled off 11 straight points for a 36-28 lead. Brandi Vega started the surge with a three-point play, and after a South Tahoe turnover, Bianchi knocked down another 3-pointer. After the Vikings' misfired, Carson's Kailey Taylor scored in the key with 53 seconds left, and Bianchi completed the barrage with her final 3-pointer of the half.

Lexi Nunes-Fenley scored on a putback with 3.0 left to make it 36-30 at the half.

South Tahoe outscored Carson 10-6 in the first half of the third quarter before Carson exerted some defensive pressure on the Vikings, who folded.

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