WINNEMUCCA - During the season a team is bound to have a hiccup every once and a while and that happened to the Winnemucca Junior High School seventh-grade girls basketball team.
The Warriors (15-0 overall) have cruised in winning every game this season, but ran into a small bit of adversity in Battle Mountain on Friday, Sept. 27.
Despite some tense moments, Winnemucca still came away with two wins, beating Battle Mountain 36-22 and Pershing County 38-5.
"It was a rough day. The girls were not on their game," said WJHS head coach Larry Renteria. "Our defense was inconsistent during both games. From the start, it did not feel like the team had their minds on the game. For the first time this year, we had to play from behind. Even though it was not a pretty game of basketball against either team, the girls had the strength and courage to face the challenge and overcome the other teams."
In the matchup with Battle Mountain, Sydney Connors, Hailey Fernandez and Madison McClellan led Winnemucca with eight points apiece. Brooke Hanson added six points for the Warriors and Juli Garcia and Julianne Montero scored four and two points, respectively.
In the win over Pershing County, Kailey Hudson and Lili Garcia each netted six points for Winnemucca. Rebecca Kuskie, Juli Garcia, Rachel Garrison, McClellan and Fernandez had four points apiece. Tatyana Carlson, Hannah Growcock, Montero and Hanson netted two points each for the Warriors.
Winnemucca was back on the road last Saturday in Dayton to take on Dayton and Silver Stage.
The Warriors picked up 11 points from Connors and eight more from Fernandez in the 49-6 victory over Dayton. McClellan added six points, Lili Garcia, Carlson, Hudson and Growcock scored four points apiece and Juli Garcia, Kuskie, Montero and Hanson had two points apiece.
"It was the team I recognized on Saturday," added the coach. "From the very beginning the girls were energized, focused on their game. From the moment the ball was tipped, I could tell that the girls were there to play. We played great team ball on the offensive and defensive ends. Offensively, the girls would seize the fast break opportunities and recognize when they needed to run a play."
Later in the day, the Warriors took on Silver Stage and won 56-8, on the strength of 14 points by Fernandez. McClellan chipped in nine points, Lili Garcia and Juli Garcia each scored eight points and Growcock had six points.
Connors and Hanson pitched in four points apiece, Carlson and Garrison scored two each and Hudson had one point.
"Defensively, everyone hustled and stayed between the opposing player and the basket," Renteria said. "The girls did a pretty good job boxing out and were able to dominate the boards on both ends of the floor. I was very thankful for Saturday, so we could end the week on a high note. It was a great way to go into the final week of the season."
After spending all of September on the road, Winnemucca made its home debut on Tuesday and came away with a 47-15 victory over Fallon.
"It was a really good game for the girls," said the coach. "They played good defense and executed on their offense. Defensively, the girls were really able to shut Fallon down. It was until the last few minutes of the game that Fallon was really able to get consistent good shots and scored five points in the fourth quarter. The girls rebounded great and limited Fallon to one shot."
Connors led all scorers with 13 points, while McClellan and Fernandez added eight and six points, respectively. Kuskie poured in five points, Hanson had four, Juli Garcia, Lili Garcia, Montero, Garrison and Growcock scored two points apiece and Hudson had one point.
"Madison had a great game down low," added the coach. "She was able to pull in some tough rebounds and go back up strong. She cleaned up on the boards and was able to finish through the defense. She has developed into a steady dependable player who is strong enough to finish in tough situations. While Madison stood out, the other girls played great ball too. Each girl contributed in multiple ways and really exemplified a team effort. I hope their great team play continues as we close in on the final game of the season."
Winnemucca closes out its season on Saturday with the Tri-County championship, beginning at 9 a.m.[[In-content Ad]]
