BATTLE MOUNTAIN - The Battle Mountain High School junior varsity boys basketball team was saddled with three road games in five days last week, losing all three but staying close in two of them in the final minutes.
The Longhorns (0-5 Ruby Mountain League, 4-14 overall) made the trip to Spring Creek on Jan. 24 and were defeated 48-38 by the 3A school.
"Spring Creek pulled away from us late in the game when we had to start fouling," said BMHS head coach Worth Nelson. "We didn't take advantage of our possessions late in the game."
From there, Battle Mountain headed further east on Friday and Saturday, to face West Wendover and White Pine, respectively. The Wolverines, whose school sits on the Utah/Nevada border, jumped out to a quick start and beat the Longhorns 73-41.
"We played a couple of pretty competitive games this week but Wendover was just too much for us to handle," Nelson said. "They have some very good guards and they are strong inside. Our scoring has gotten a little better but unless we can slow down the other offenses it is going to be tough to win."
The most competitive of the three games was in Ely on Saturday. Battle Mountain had a chance to tie or take the lead in the final seconds but the shot was just a little off and White Pine held on for the 52-50 victory.
"White Pine was a fun game right down to the end," added the coach. "Being in those competitive games is where some real learning can take place and it is fun to be a part of them. Hopefully we can keep competing down the stretch and get a couple more wins."
Battle Mountain was scheduled to host Elko on Tuesday night. Results were not available at press time. The Longhorns make their final road trip of the season on Friday when they make their way west on Interstate 80 to Winnemucca to play Lowry at 4:30 p.m. Battle Mountain returns home next Tuesday to host Spring Creek at 4:30 p.m.
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