On Friday, Feb. 9, the Battle Mountain High School JV basketball teams played their final game of the season, hosting West Wendover. The JV girls came away with the victory, while the boys kept the game close before falling in the final minutes.
The JV girls started off the day of basketball games hoping to finish the season with a victory.
The ladies started off well, with a strong defensive performance against the struggling Wolverines. After the first quarter, the Lady Longhorns led 11-4.
In the second quarter, both teams struggled to get the offense going but the Longhorns still expanded their lead by three points, outscoring the Wolverines 9-6 to bring the halftime score to 20-10.
Kira Smith continued to show promise in the game, making open 3-point shots.
Hanna Payne also played a complete game, leading the Lady Longhorns from the point-guard position for most of the game. The ladies, in the third quarter began to dominate the game, jumping out to a 32-14 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Battle Mountain completed the victory in the final game of the season with a 20-point, 42-22 victory.
Boys fall to Wolverines
As for the JV boys, they faced a Wolverine team on a 15-game winning streak and undefeated in league play for the season. In the first contest between the two teams, the Longhorn boys trailed 22-9 after the first quarter but this game started with the Longhorns taking the early lead.
Battle Mountain, with the help of Alex Valles, making early 3-point shots in the quarter, led the game 14-11.
In the second quarter, the Wolverines recaptured the lead by six points, outscoring the Longhorns 14-5. Unfortunately for the Longhorns, they did not capitalize off of scoring opportunities against the Wolverines missing several open looks in the quarter. At the half, the Wolverines lead was 25-19.
Roy Chavira led the Longhorns in scoring with 13 points, eight rebounds. He shot 7-for-10 from the free throw line.
Aldo Castellanos showed his athletic ability in the game, with six points off 3-of-6 shooting. He brought in seven rebounds.
The Longhorns leading scorer, D.J. Martinez had an unusually off night, scoring only four points off of 2-of-6 shooting. He missed all four shots from beyond the 3-point line. Despite his struggling offense, Martinez picked up the effort on defense and led the Longhorns with two steals.
The Longhorns, in the second half, found a weak spot in the post of the Wolverine defense and tried to capitalize on the opportunity. Chavira repeatedly got to the free throw line and Tristian Wahrenburg also scored off the advantage in the low post.
It wouldn't be enough though as the Wolverines started to make deep shots late in the fourth quarter to finish off the Longhorns 54-38.
The loss ended the JV boys basketball season with a final record of 17-7 overall and 8-5 in league games. In the end, the Longhorns JV teams showed development throughout the season and leaving fans feeling the program will remain competitive in the Northern 2A for years to come.
*Disclaimer Travis Masterson is the Longhorn JV boys head coach.
