Fallon girls basketball splits vs. 3A West foes

After avenging last year’s loss to Wooster, the Greenwave girls basketball team couldn’t overcome an early hole against one of the region’s best.

Fallon defeated Wooster, 49-34, in Reno last Wednesday but fell to North Valleys, 64-40, on Saturday in the home opener at the Elmo Dericco Gymnasium.

Fallon (4-2) hosted Reed on Tuesday before hitting the road on Friday with a 6 p.m. battle against Hug. Fallon hosts Sparks on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Three players scored in double figures to lead Fallon over Wooster.

Sophomore Jada Anastasio scored 13 points, freshman Karlie Simper added 10 and sophomore Janessa Bettencourt had 10. Senior Zoey Jarrett scored six points and senior Madasyn Moyle added four. Jarrett, Anastasio and Simper each hit a 3-pointer.

Bettencourt, Jarrett and sophomore Raegan Johnson tied for the team lead in rebounds with five, and sophomore Kylee Simper and Karlie Simper each had three. Anastasio, Moyle and freshman Kortnie Simper each had two rebounds. Jarrett also led the team with four assists and seven steals.

In Saturday’s loss against the North Valleys, Fallon kept the score close for the first four minutes before the Panthers went on a 10-0 run to lead 14-5 before a Greenwave timeout with 1 minute, 36 seconds left. North Valleys led 19-6 going into the second.

Karlie Simper and senior Jessalyn Lewis’ buckets kept the deficit from not expanding late in the second quarter as Fallon tied the visitors with nine points each in the quarter.

The Panthers, though, doubled up on Fallon, leading 50-25 with a minute left in the third quarter. Two sets of free throws plus a pair of 3-pointers quickly opened the game for North Valleys before Johnson’s swish at the buzzer stopped the bleeding.

North Valleys, which led 51-29 after three, outscored Fallon 13-11 in the final frame.

Kortnie Simper and Anastasio each scored eight points, Karlie Simper added six, and Johnson and Bettencourt each had three. Junior Vernita Fillmore led the team in rebounds with nine and Bettencourt had six. Lewis, Johnson and Kortnie Simper each finished with three rebounds. Karlie Simper led the team with four assists and Kortnie Simper had a team-high four steals.