MCDERMITT — If McDermitt High School girls basketball coach Jaimi Wilkinson has learned anything about her team after two games in the preseason, it is they are having fun.
The Lady Bulldogs improved to 2-0 on the year, after a 67-23 win over Pyramid Lake on Thursday night in McDermitt. The Lady Bulldogs built a 14-point lead in the first quarter and were never challenged.
“They went out there and had fun tonight,” Wilkinson said. “They are a good group of girls that play well together. We had to put the press on one quick time because we got a little too relaxed. But, we got right back in and were fine.”
McDermitt jumped out to an 11-0 lead in the first quarter on the strength of two 3-point field goals by sophomore Jasmine Northrup and five more by Precious Masters. Northrup’s second 3-point shot forced Pyramid Lake to take a timeout with 3:08 left in the first quarter.
A steal and basket by freshman Katie Crutcher and another bucket by Masters gave the Lady Bulldogs a 15-0 lead, when the Lakers finally scored with 70 seconds left in the quarter. McDermitt led by as many as 20 points in the first half at 25-5 after a jump shot by Northrup.
The third quarter was a tale of runs by both teams. Masters, Northrup and Crutcher each knocked down 3-point shots to give McDermitt a 35-8 advantage. Pyramid Lake answered back with nine straight points to close the gap to 38-17 but it was all Lady Bulldogs after that.
McDermitt closed out the quarter on a 16-2 run., picking up contributions from Morissa Bitt (eight points), Crutcher, Northrup and Masters.
A pair of free throws by Meianah Bitt with six minutes to play created a running clock with McDermitt leading 59-23. The Lady Bulldogs held the Lakers scoreless for the final six minutes, scoring the final 13 points of the game.
Masters led all scorers with 22 points and nearly outscored Pyramid Lake by herself. Morissa Bitt, Crutcher and Northrup joined her in double figures with 13, 11 and 10 points, respectively. Meianah Bitt added seven points and Victoria Navarro had four.
Lady Bulldogs hold
off Mustangs
McDermitt began its season in Jordan Valley, Ore., and held on for a 49-48 victory. The Lady Bulldogs maintained a one-point lead after eight minutes of play at 9-8. The Mustangs turned the tables in the second quarter and was able to tie the game at 22 at halftime.
The difference on the night was the third quarter, where McDermitt outscored Jordan Valley 17-11. The Mustangs made it close in the fourth quarter and closed the gap to a point, only to see McDermitt hold on for the win.
“We made it interesting at the end,” Wilkinson said. “Jordan Valley was a pretty good team. We were maybe too excited and had a lot of turnovers.”
Masters led McDermitt with 17 points and Northrup added 14. Crutcher scored seven points in her high school debut. Shania Lenoir also had seven points and Morissa Bitt scored four.
McDermitt travels to Virginia City this weekend for the Comstock Classic, beginning on Thursday.
