MCDERMITT - A year ago at this time, the McDermitt High School boys basketball team was at the bottom of the Division IV East standings.
What a difference a year makes. After a little help from Wells with a victory over Owyhee last weekend, McDermitt is tied for the top spot in the league after its 75-65 home win over Eureka on Friday.
The Bulldogs are 3-1, as are the Leopards and Braves. The standings will see some shakeup in the next week, as McDermitt will play at Wells and Owyhee in the next seven days.
"We finally put two halves together," said MHS coach Austin Mayo. "Either we come out hot in the first and go cold in the second or vice versa. It's a lot better to be 3-1 instead of 2-2. I thought we controlled the play for the most part and it's nice to be at the top of the standings."
The Leopards led for much of the first quarter, scoring 11 of the first 16 points and forcing McDermitt to call a time out less than three minutes into the contest.
Eureka led by as many as seven points at 17-10 only to see McDermitt score the final three points of the first period and the first nine of the second. Brendan Wilson began the spurt with a pair of free throws and Saul Lopez gave the Bulldogs an 18-17 lead with a layup.
Eureka used a 3-pointer to go in front 24-21 but that quickly evaporated as Lopez and Tanner Coble followed with back-to-back buckets to put the Bulldogs up 26-24. The Vandals answered with a 3-point field goal but McDermitt closed out the first half with five consecutive points, including a 3-pointer by Wilson.
Eureka overcame a four-point deficit early in the third quarter after knocking down a 3-point shot. That was the last lead for the Vandals, as Tyler Coble began a 10-0 run with a pair of free throws. Leo Lorenzo added a pair of buckets and Tanner Coble put back a missed shot to give McDermitt a 45-36 lead with 3:37 left in the third quarter.
The Vandals closed within three late in the third quarter but Tyler Coble took over in the fourth. The senior scored 11 of his team-high 24 points, as McDermitt opened the fourth quarter on an 8-2 run to lead 59-48. He gave the Bulldogs their largest advantage of the night at 72-56, before the Vandals closed the game on a 9-3 run.
"Tyler set the tone for us and had a good offensive night," Mayo said. "He is starting to get on track."
Tanner Coble and Wilson also reached double figures with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Lopez scored seven, Alex Rincon and T.J. Smith six each and Lorenzo four.
"It was a total team effort from everyone," Mayo said. "For the most part we were able to handle the press fairly well. It was by far the best game we have put together on both sides of the ball. Everybody had a role. I have preached to our guys that they may not play the whole game but they have a job to do when they are on the floor. I really felt everyone stepped up and did that."
McDermitt (7-5 overall, 3-1 Division IV East) was on the road Jan. 17 to play Carlin and ran away with a 64-28 victory over the Railroaders. The Bulldogs led by just three points after eight minutes of play, but dominated from there.
McDermitt increased the lead to 27-18 at halftime and used a 37-10 run in the second half, including a 16-2 spurt in the fourth quarter.
Tyler Coble provided a double-double with 24 points and 14 rebounds. Lopez contributed 11 points, five assists and three steals and Tanner Coble had nine points, eight steals and six rebounds. Lorenzo and Rincon scored six points each, Richard Thunderhorse three, Smith two and Wilson one.
McDermitt's next three games are on the road beginning with Wells on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Bulldogs won the first meeting 58-46. McDermitt is off to Jackpot on Saturday for a 4 p.m. tip. The Jaguars beat McDermitt 61-55 in the first meeting, the only league loss for the Bulldogs. McDermitt will travel to Owyhee on Feb. 4 for a game that was postponed Jan. 18. That contest begins at 4:30 p.m.
"It will not be an easy trip by any means," May said. "Wells is going to be a physical game in Jackpot already beat us. Owyhee will probably be one of our tougher games of the year."[[In-content Ad]]
