After getting into the Division III North Regional Tournament after beating Pershing County in a play-in game, the Battle Mountain High School girls basketball team had the tough task of playing top-seeded Incline in order to reach the state tournament.
The Lady Longhorns knocked off the Highlanders earlier in the season in Battle Mountain, but Incline did not have its top player Kira Porter in the lineup. She was back on the floor for the playoff game.
Battle Mountain played Incline tough, but the Highlanders pulled away in the fourth quarter to secure a 54-34 victory. Battle Mountain (14-11) saw its season end.
“The girls played pretty well,” said BMHS coach Paul Tremayne. “We turned the ball over to many times and we did not shoot particularly well.
Incline held a slim three-point lead after eight minutes of play, but slowly pulled away in the second quarter to build a 27-17 halftime advantage.
The Lady Longhorns fought back to cut the deficit to seven points in the second half, but could no closer. The Highlanders closed out the game on a 16-6 run to advance to the state tournament. Incline went on to beat West Wendover for the regional championship.
West Wendover will take on White Pine on Friday in the opening round of the state tournament at 11 a.m. at Lawlor Events Center on the campus of the University of Nevada.
Incline meets up with Agassi Prep at 2:20 p.m. on Friday, also at Lawlor Events Center.
The championship game is set for 11 a.m. on Saturday.
Junior Yulisa Vazquez paced Battle Mountain with 18 points and freshman Sruti Bhakta added five points.
“The girls played real hard and should be proud of themselves,” Tremayne said. “We had a good year and saw a tremendous improvement. This team is young and should be a lot of fun to watch over the next couple of years.”
