Fallon trips South Tahoe, Dayton in Northern 3A action

The Lady Wave basketball team’s defense caused South Tahoe to commit more than 40 turnovers as Fallon claimed a 51-17 Northern 3A win Tuesday at the Elmo Dericco Gym.

Karlee Hitchcock led all scorers with 16 points including 6 of 6 from the free-throw line. Makenzee Moretto chipped in with 13 points, while Aisha Sharron had a season-high nine points.

The Wave (6-7 overall, 4-3 in league) outgunned the visiting Lady Vikings (4-6, 2-3) with a 17-5 first quarter to set the tone in their first meeting of the year. Fallon’s quickness frustrated South Tahoe as the Vikings committed nine turnovers, which continued to mount for the final three quarters.

“We created a ton of turnovers, and our defense is moving in the right direction,” first-year coach Kevin Wickware said. “Offensively, we crashed the boards on both offense and defense, and created more points off the offensive rebounds.”

Fallon’s tandem of Aisha Sharron and Maddison Whitaker worked the inside, while Whitaker’s first 3-point shot of the night gave Fallon a 7-2 lead. Sharron’s shooting hand was hot as she connected for eight points and had several assists. Wickware said Sharron played aggressively and pulled down 11 rebounds. He said Whitaker is playing better and feels more comfortable in her role.

South Tahoe scored its baskets from Ruby Neiger and Phoebe Barkann and on a free throw from Giovanna De Loia.

The Wave added to its lead in the second quarter with an inside game spurred by Moretto’s seven points. Hitchcock and Kinsli Rogne each made a basket as did Sydney Jarrett. Three Vikings’ players accounted for the team’s scoring: De Loia, Teagan Welch and Sherpa. At 5:57, Sherpa scored South Tahoe’s first three points on a basket and free throw.

Fallon’s defense, which caused numerous turnovers, limited the Vikings to one point in the third quarter, a free throw from Sherpa.

The Wave was 4 of 4 from the free-throw line with Hitchcock and Jarrett each sinking a pair, while Hitchcock had a putback and Moretto scored from the inside.

Both teams struggled in the third quarter in their scoring. Fallon missed a number of shots in the paint, while the Vikings couldn’t handle the Greenwave’s pressure defense.

Fallon outscored South Tahoe 11-4 in the final frame.

Hitchcock accounted for six points including 4 of 4 from the charity stripe. Hailey Guerrero and Moretto each tallied a basket, and Sharron rounded out the scoring with a free throw. Wickware said Hitchcock had many of her points off of rebounds, while Moretto had a strong game underneath.

Barkann and Italia Gibbons each sunk a basket for the Vikings.

De Loia led the Vikings with four points, and Sherpa added three.

The Lady Wave took a 44-12 win at Dayton on Friday. At one point, Fallon led Dayton by as many as 35 points in the third quarter.

The Wave evened its overall record at 7-7 and is 5-3 in league. Fallon has won its last six of seven games but sits in fifth place in the Northern 3A.

Fallon jumped on Dayton from the opening tipoff and raced out to an 11-0 lead. Hitchcock and Whitaker ignited the start, and Fallon’s defense, like it did against South Tahoe, caused Dayton to turn over the ball.

By halftime, Fallon led 33-4.

“This game was almost identical to South Tahoe,” Wickware said. “We created a lot of turnovers, and the kids got a lot of playing time.”

The Wave began the third quarter with three straight baskets from Kensli Rogne, a outback from Moretto and a basket from Sharron. The 39-4 lead began a running clock.

Dayton’s Hallie Peterson accounted for a long 3-point shot that banked off the glass.

Moretto and Shaylee Fagg scored Fallon’s points in the fourth quarter.

Fallon had a balanced-scoring offense with Whitaker leading both teams with 13 points. Sharron and Fagg each had seven points, while Moretto and Rogne each tallied six.

Fallon travels to Winnemucca on Friday for a league game against Lowry.

“We’re excited to play them,” Wickware said. “We have some games under our belt and this will be a good test for us.”