WINNEMUCCA - The Winnemucca Junior High School seventh-grade girls basketball team remains red hot, increasing its winning streak to 10 games on Friday, Sept. 21, in Battle Mountain.
The Warriors (6-0 Tri County, 10-0 overall) stayed perfect in Tri-County play, with a 52-8 win over Battle Mountain, a 26-22 victory against Pershing County and 45-42 overtime defeat of McDermitt.
"The games were a lot closer than we wanted them to be," said WJHS seventh-grade head coach Larry Renteria. "The kids stayed in it and did not give up on themselves and I was proud of them for that. There were a lot of little mistakes that the girls recognized and we have to work on this week."
Kepa Bengochea and Alyssa Kuskie combined to score 15 points in the first quarter against Battle Mountain, as the Warriors built a 22-5 lead after six minutes of play. In addition, Bailey Sapien added0000 five points in the first period.
Winnemucca was able to break the game open in the second period, outscoring Battle Mountain 16-0 to lead 38-5 at halftime. Tailor West scored six of her game-high 12 points in the second quarter, with Samantha Diaz and Brittany Jacaway adding two points each.
The Warriors' lead never dropped below 20 points the rest of the way.
Following West's 12 points, Bengochea added nine, Jacaway eight, Alyssa Kuskie six, Sapien five, Alily Kliewer and Diaz four each and Trenna Millikan and Tauni Rolando scored two apiece.
Winnemucca found itself in another tough matchup with Pershing County, with the outcome coming down to the final minute. The Warriors' Hailey Hinkle and Sapien combined to score eight points in the first half, giving Winnemucca an 11-5 halftime advantage.
The Colts cut the deficit to a point entering the fourth quarter at 17-16, only to see the Warriors pull away in the final six minutes. The game featured 31 free throws and 25 fouls as both teams spent a majority of the time at the free throw line. Winnemucca made nine field goals and eight free throws.
Bengochea, Millikan and Sapien each scored six points to lead the Warriors, Hinkle added five and Kuskie three.
Winnemucca faced its stiffest test of the year, in a overtime win over McDermitt. The Warriors picked up eight points from Kuskie in the first quarter, helping to build a 13-6 lead for Winnemucca.
"Alyssa had a great game," Renteria said. "She shot the ball well and played great defense. She made a 3-point shot in overtime, which was big for us."
McDermitt battled back to cut the Winnemucca lead to one point at halftime, 20-19. The Warriors came out of the break, with a 15-4 run to lead comfortably at 35-23. However, the Cougars came back to outscore the Warriors by 12 points in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime.
In the extra period, Kuskie hit a 3-point shot and Sapien also added a basket for the Warriors to clinch the victory.
Kuskie reached double digits to lead the Warriors with 22 points. Sapien added eight, Jacaway five, Bengochea and Hinkle four each and Shelby Garrison two.
Winnemucca hosts Carson Middle School and Pershing County today, at 3 p.m. It is the first meeting of the year for Winnemucca against Carson. The Warriors are back home Saturday to host the Tri-County League at 9 a.m.
"We made a list of goals to accomplish this week," Renteria said. "Right now, it is just the little things we need to fix. We got into two tough games and played through some adversity, but the girls never gave up."
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