The Battle Mountain Longhorns Varsity basketball team traveled to Hawthorne last week to participate in the Serpent Classic basketball tournament.
The three-day tournament provided the Longhorns with their first five games of the season.
On Thursday, Nov. 30, the Battle Mountain Longhorns took the court against the Spring Mountain Eagles.
The Eagles were able to edge out the Longhorns with a score of 33-31. Chris Figueroa led the Longhorns in scoring with 18 points against the Eagles, but the team struggled to knock down their shots.
Mason Fuller did his best to give the Longhorns more opportunities by leading the team in with eight rebounds, while Reese Artz chipped in with three steals.
The second game of the day put the Longhorns up against host team, the Mineral County High School Serpents.
The Longhorns’ shooting woes continued and they struggled to score against the Serpents defense, despite some open looks at the basket.
The Serpents defeated the Longhorns 48-32. Fuller led the team with nine points in the game and Artz brought in eight rebounds. Gabe Naveran and Danny Diaz led the team in steals with four each.
“We were rusty on the first day of the tournament, trying to get back into basketball mode and playing shape after having less time to prepare the football kids, who started late. We couldn’t make even the simplest shot on Thursday,” Longhorn head coach Roger Wallock said.
On Friday, Dec. 1, the Longhorns bounced back in a big way with a dominating performance against the Smith Valley Bulldogs. Artz led the team in scoring and rebounds with 16 points and seven rebounds. Fuller added another 13 points.
Diaz led the team in assists at six, while Figueroa and Diego Saenz each added three assists against the Bulldogs. The Longhorns defeated the Bulldogs 66-22 and earned their first win of the season.
The Longhorns followed up their first win of the season with a second against the Virginia City Muckers.
Figueroa played a big game for the Longhorns, leading the team with 16 points, four assists and three steals. Fuller made seven rebounds. The Longhorns again put forth another dominating performance, defeating the Muckers 52-32.
On Saturday, Dec. 2, the Longhorns finished off the weekend games with a match-up against the Pyramid Lake Lakers.
The shots continued to fall for the Longhorns as three of their five starters scored in the double digits. Fuller scored 19, Figueroa 11 and Naveran scored 10 points against the Lakers.
The Longhorns also dominated the game in rebounds with Fuller leading the way with 10. The Longhorns finished the weekend on a three-game winning streak after defeating the Lakers 64-37.
“We played well the last three games. Shots started to fall and we weren’t as tired as the first day,” proudly stated Wallock, “Our defense was pretty good all weekend, but we still need to work on not giving up offensive rebounds. Overall, a good preseason weekend for us.”
The Longhorns left Hawthorne with a three and two record and are preparing to play against Pahranagat Valley Panthers in the Comstock Classic tournament on Thursday, Dec. 7, before facing the McDermitt Bulldogs and the Round Mountain Knights on Friday, Dec. 8.
