WINNEMUCCA - The McDermitt High School boys basketball team has been down this road the last two years, and now the hope is that the outcome is different against the same team that has caused them postseason heartbreak.
The Bulldogs (19-6 overall, 10-0 Eastern 1A) finished off a perfect conference record with a 70-21 win at Eureka on Friday, Feb. 10.
They opened the Northern 1A Regional Tournament in Elko on Thursday night against Smith Valley, a team at the root of the pain over a two-year span. Results were not available at press time.
Last year McDermitt entered the 1A tournament at 23-2, but the top-seeded Bulldogs had a cold night shooting, while Smith Valley hit nine 3-point field goals in pulling off the 68-54 upset. It was the second year in a row that Smith Valley ended McDermitt's season.
"Smith Valley is very well-coached and their kids work extremely hard," said MHS head coach Lowell Egan. "They have ended our last two playoff runs. Our strength over the last month has been our balance and our depth. I fully expect our team to step up to the challenge and play hard, play smart and play together. That's been our mantra ever since we began this journey."
The McDermitt-Smith Valley winner will play the winner of Coleville and Jackpot tonight at 6 p.m. at Elko High School. The championship game is set for 2 p.m. Saturday at Elko High School.
Nine different players scored for McDermitt in the easy win over Eureka in a game that featured a running clock at the end as part of the NIAA 40-point mercy rule.
"We ended the regular season on a positive note," Egan said. "Everybody saw significant playing time and everybody remained healthy."
The Bulldogs held the Vandals to just four points in the second half. McDermitt went on a 37-4 run in the second and third quarters after leading 33-17 at halftime.
LeRon Tom paced McDermitt with 20 points, while sophomore Tyler Coble posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Sonny Crutcher had 10 points, four steals and three assists. Justin Fettic and Ellison Tom each contributed seven points, while Ian Hinkey had six, Victor Gomez four, Frankie Hill three and Edgar Cerceres two.
"Our seniors have won 31 consecutive league games, and 32 of the last 34," Egan said. "But if you talk to any of them, they will tell you that we want much more than a league title. We want a chance to win a state championship. We've put ourselves in a position to do that, but we know it won't be easy."
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