The Battle Mountain High School boys basketball team traveled to Virgina City this past weekend to compete in the Virginia City Comstock Tournament.
The Longhorns played four games over the three-day tournament, finishing undefeated.
On Thursday, Dec. 7, Battle Mountain faced their toughest test of the tournament, against Pahranagat Valley, who claimed a definite height advantage against the Longhorns.
Battle Mountain did not back down to their tall opponents, though, and were able to defeat the Panthers 44-39. Chris Figueroa led the team in scoring with 16 and five rebounds. Mason Fuller and Danny Diaz also added to the scoring with Fuller scoring 12 points, while Diaz scored 11. Reese Artz and Bradley Rodgers tied Figueroa with five rebounds in the game each.
“This tournament started off with a tough game against a huge team (Alamo). They started a front line of 6’9”, 6’5”, 6’3”. We had a tough time in the first half scoring, and we couldn’t get a great shot inside against their height,” expressed head coach Roger Wallock after the game, “However, we played physical, and our defense kept us in the game until we started hitting some threes. We got some fast break layups leading to a huge third quarter, hitting six 3-pointers and taking the lead. I was very pleased with how we battled and rebounded against their big guys and our guards harassed them all game long.”
On Friday, Dec. 8, Battle Mountain matched up against McDermitt. The Bulldogs kept the game close in the first quarter but were overwhelmed by the Longhorns deep roster.
Five Longhorn players scored into double digits with Figueroa, Gabe Naveran and Eddie Morfin scoring 11 points each. Artz and Bradley scored 10 points each against the Bulldogs.
Rodgers reached a double-double in the game, adding in 11 rebounds to his 10 points. Diaz and Diego Saenz each passed for four assists leading to the Longhorns victory over the Bulldogs with a final score of 68-34.
The second game of the day the Longhorns dominated Round Mountain, establishing an early lead and shutting down their opponents on defense. The Longhorns defeated the Knights by a score of 64-11. Artz led the team in scoring with 17 points on the day, while Rodgers continued to rebound well earning 10 against the Knights. The Longhorns ended the first quarter with a 28-0 lead before giving some bench players more time in the game.
On Saturday, Dec. 9, the Longhorns played their last game of the tournament and defeated Wells 63-24.
Three players on the Battle Mountain team scored in double digits, with Diaz scoring 17 and leading the team. Mason Fuller chipped in another 16 points, while Chris Figueroa finished with 14 points. Figueroa almost finished with a double-double but fell one short, ending the game with nine. The Longhorns never relinquished the lead to McDermitt, Round Mountain or Wells in the tournament.
“In the last three games, we were able to establish early control and therefore able get everyone a bunch of playing time and work on some of our quick hit offenses,” Wallock said. “We were able to practice our zone defense, which we may need down the road. This weekend was a terrific tournament for us, building our confidence going into league play next week.”
The Longhorns, after losing their first two games on the season, are now on a seven-game winning streak.
Battle Mountain played Wells in a rematch on Tuesday and results were not available at press time.
The Longhorns remain at home this weekend for match-ups against North Tahoe on Friday and Incline on Saturday.
Disclaimer: Travis Masterson is the Battle Mountain junior varsity boys basketball coach.
