The Battle Mountain High School boys basketball team had a chance to improve its playoff chances last Saturday in Yerington, but found it tough going on the Lions’ home floor.
The Longhorns struggled to find its way on offense, with the Lions winning 47-29 to complete a season sweep in league play.
“Once again we struggled to score points against a big aggressive Yerington team,” said BMHS Roger Wallock. “We had good looks but just seem to alter our shots a bit when playing them.”
Battle Mountain’s defense held the powerful Yerington offense to under 50 points, including 22 in the first half. However, the Longhorns could not convert on the offensive side of the floor.
Battle Mountain cut the Yerington lead down to six points on a couple occasions in the second half, but could not get any closer.
“I was pretty pleased with our zone defense,” Wallock said. “However, we didn’t rebound very well and obviously didn’t score enough on offense to put any pressure on them down the stretch. We did cut the lead to six a couple of times in the third quarter but when you can’t make baskets, it’s tough to sustain a comeback.”
Blake Dorian led Battle Mountain with 19 points. Miles Piramide added rebounds and Chris Figueroa had four rebounds and two steals.
Yerington (10-0) and Pershing County (8-2) have clinched the top two seeds for the Division III North Regional Championships next week in West Wendover. Incline (6-5) is currently third and Battle Mountain (5-5) and West Wendover (4-6) are fourth and fifth, respectively.
The Longhorns can clinch a playoff berth with a win at home over Silver Stage on Friday and a loss by West Wendover to either Pershing County and Silver Stage. Tip off for Friday’s game against the Nighthawks is 7:30 p.m.
Battle Mountain closes out the regular season on Saturday afternoon against Pershing County at 3:30 p.m.
