Smith shoots Fallon to win

It was full of twists and turns and dominating performances.

In the end, however, Shelby Smith rescued the Fallon girls basketball team for a 49-40 nonconference win over visiting Lassen on Tuesday at the Elmo Dericco Gym.

The Fallon junior scored nine of her game-high 17 points in the fourth quarter including a smooth under-hand layup as the Lady Wave held on for their fourth straight win.

“The one thing I am most tickled with is she attacked the basket,” Fallon coach Anne Smith said of Shelby Smith. “She squared up, saw the lane and attacked the basket. She pulled it together tonight and had some great moves.”

With the win, Fallon improves to 8-7 overall, while Lassen falls to 8-8. The game was made up after a snowstorm postponed in what was supposed to be the season-opening tilt for both clubs on Dec. 3.

Fallon plays at 6 p.m. today at Sparks and at 2 p.m. Saturday at South Tahoe.

“They kept their poise and pulled it out,” Anne Smith said. “We looked more confident in our half court offense, and handled the press just fine.”

Aside from Shelby Smith’s heroics, Fallon burst out to a 22-10 halftime lead behind 3-pointers from Ali Tedford, Gabby Sharpe and Janelica Galera. Shelby Smith tallied six points in the first half, while Tedford added five and finished with eight for the game.

What appeared to be a runaway victory, however, quickly turned into a two-point deficit.

“We went into a press and they are a good enough team where they can pass it over the top of us,” Anne Smith said.

The Grizzlies roared back in the third quarter, outscoring Fallon 20-10, thanks to the inside play of Miranda Langenhorst. The 6-foot junior center was a menace as she scored eight points and swatted at least six shots in the quarter.

For the game, Langenhorst had a team-high 16 points and 14 blocks. Her dominance down low hindered the efforts of Fallon sophomore Megan McCormick, who had just two points, and Hannah Lindsay, who scored 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting.

As a result of Langenhorst’s presence, Fallon hit 16 of 48 shots (33 percent) and had to rely on Smith’s outside jumper to spark the fourth-quarter run.

“We had a hard time stopping (Langenhorst),” Anne Smith said. “We told the girls they had no pressure and to work some of their moves. We didn’t do that so well, we just tried to go over the top of her.”

McCormick, meanwhile, fought tough against Langenhorst in the block and grabbed nine rebounds, while Lindsay added seven and Shelby Smith chipped in with six.

Lassen’s rally, though, was ignited by breaking free of Fallon’s full-court press. Once Fallon pulled off the press, the Lady Wave’s half-court defense forced more outside shots and less opportunities for Langenhorst.

Despite the Grizzlies’ furious rally, free throws crippled their chances of keeping the game close or extending their lead. Lassen went 0-for-10 from the line, while the Lady Wave hit 14-of-21 from the stripe including going 5-of-8 in the final 1:08 of the game.

“I think we missed too many in the first quarter,” Anne Smith said. “I was pleased at the end (of the game) because we hit them when it counted.”