MCDERMITT - After picking up a 10-point victory over Crane, Ore., in its home opener on Tuesday night, the McDermitt High School boys basketball team was hoping that momentum would carry into Wednesday's non-conference game with Pyramid Lake.
The Bulldogs (2-2) hung tough for a quarter against the Lakers, but Pyramid Lake used a 37-15 run in the second and third periods to win 68-55 and avenge an earlier loss to McDermitt.
"They had the one kid get hot and that didn't happen the first time we played," said MHS head coach Austin Mayo. "We played good for about the first quarter and half and just ran out of steam. The guys played their hearts out and used a lot of energy the night before against Crane. You could see we just didn't have that energy tonight."
McDermitt scored six of the first eight points off baskets by Ellison Tom, Tyler Coble and T.J. Smith. However, Pyramid Lake countered with back to back 3-point field goals to come back and take a 15-10 advantage. Smith did his best to keep the Bulldogs in the contest, making two more buckets in the opening quarter to keep the deficit at three points at 17-14.
The Bulldogs' Brendan Wilson connected on a 3-point field goal to start the second quarter, cutting the Pyramid Lake to two points at 19-17, but that was as close as the Bulldogs got.
The Lakers hit three 3-point field goals in consecutive possessions to push the advantage to 12 points at 29-17. Coble ended the run with a driving shot to the basket, only to have Pyramid Lake score the final five points of the first half to lead 34-19.
"We didn't take very good care of the ball and Pyramid Lake hit some shots," Mayo said. "We didn't shoot well and missed way too many free throws. Our free throw shooting was bad. We missed 19 free throws."
The Lakers continued to pull away, beginning the second half on an 8-2 run to push the advantage to 21 points. Tyler Coble and Tanner Coble helped McDermitt score the next five points to trim the Lakers' lead to 42-26, but Pyramid Lake followed with 14 straight points to lead 56-26 and put the game out of reach. Tyler Coble ended a six-minute scoreless streak for McDermitt with a 3-point play at the end of the third quarter.
"We had things snowball for us and we lost our composure a little," said the coach. "It started to get physical on both sides and tempers were getting the better of both teams."
Saul Lopez provided the Bulldogs with a spark in the final eight minutes of play, connecting on three 3-point field goals and scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter.
"What I liked was that the guys played to the final whistle and the effort was there," Mayo said. "I don't know if they would have done that last year. We are getting better and I like where we are."
Tyler Coble led McDermitt with 23 points, while Lopez added 12 and Smith had eight points. Tanner Coble contributed seven points and Brendan Wilson and Tom had three and two points, respectively.
McDermitt made its home debut on Tuesday against Crane and overcame a one-point deficit to beat the Mustangs 44-34. The Bulldogs used an 11-5 run in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory.
"It was a good win for us," Mayo said. "The guys wanted to get a win in their first game and left everything on the floor."
Crane led by two points at the end of the first quarter and held the advantage until midway through the third quarter, when McDermitt went on a 15-10 run to lead 33-29.
Eight different Bulldogs scored with Tyler Coble and Tanner Coble leading the way with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Smith contributed five points, Wilson had four, Alex Rincon and Lopez three each and Leo Lorenzo and Tom finished with two each.
"It was an emotional win for us and we put a lot of focus on this game," Mayo said. "I think that is what hurt us against Pyramid Lake."
McDermitt travels to Crane on Friday and Saturday for a tournament and returns home on Friday, Jan. 3, to play Jordan Valley, Ore.
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