On Friday, Feb. 16, the Battle Mountain High School girls basketball team entered the NIAA Northern 2A Regional Basketball Championship as the No. 2 seed. The Longhorns would face longtime rival Pershing County for a shot to play in the state championship tournament.
The Longhorns favored to win the contest coming into the game, struggled to score early and Pershing County took advantage of that mistake. The Battle Mountain ladies found themselves down 10-4 after the first quarter.
The poor shooting continued to plaque the Lady Longhorns in the second quarter and Mustang guard Taryn Houston capitalized scoring 14 points in the first half.
Meanwhile, Battle Mountain scoring leaders Sruti Bahkta, Grace Melver and Isabella DeAllah struggled to finish early. Battle Mountain found themselves trailing Pershing County 28-13 at halftime.
The Lady Longhorns in desperate need of a comeback, continued to work hard and challenge the Pershing County ball handlers. Bahkta and DeAllah started to have success against the Mustangs and began to string shots together in the second half. Battle Mountain outscored Pershing County 12-7 in the third quarter and brought the Mustang lead within 10 points at 35-25.
“The girls started out a little slow and were down 28-13 at halftime then down 35-25 going into the fourth,” said BMHS coach Paul Tremayne. “The girls just stayed the course and able to catch some breaks in the fourth quarter.”
The game looked all but over with the Mustangs looking to clinch the win with a 39-25 lead with just over three minutes left to play.
Despite Pershing County trying to stall, the Battle Mountain guards hassled the Mustangs into several turnovers allowing the Longhorns to score on fast break layups. DeAllah led the Longhorns with four steals in the quarter, helping Battle Mountain fight back into the game.
DeAllah scored nine consecutive points bringing the score to 39-33 with just two minutes left in the quarter. Pershing County, trying to hold on to their lead, played back on DeAllah and Bhakta allowing them to take longer shots. Bhakta, noticing she would have space to shoot, dribbled to the top of the 3-point line and drained a huge shot. The Lady Longhorns tied the game at 42 to end regulation and entered overtime against the Mustangs.
“We outscored them 17-7 in the fourth quarter, then outplayed them 13-3 in overtime,” Tremayne said. “Isabella stepped up for us in the fourth quarter with a couple of key steals and made baskets. This game was a great come from behind victory for us.”
Bhakta and DeAllah led the Longhorns in scoring with 16-points, while Grace Melver scored 11. Senior Paige Ripley added another seven points and remained critical to the comeback despite fouling out of the game late in the fourth.
The Lady Longhorns outscored the Mustangs 13-3 in overtime and defeated the Mustangs 55-45, sealing the Longhorns opportunity to compete in the state championship on Friday at Sparks High School.
White Pine knocks
off BMHS
With the victory, the girls advanced to face the defending champion White Pine Bobcats in the regional tournament championship on Saturday. The winner would decide who would be the top seed from the north in the state tournament.
The Lady Longhorns faced the talented Bobcats team for the third time this season and won the most recent contest. The taller White Pine girls made it difficult for Battle Mountain to rebound. But strong play by Sheradyn Slaybaugh and Marissa Rogers down in the post allowed the Lady Longhorns a few more opportunities.
After the first quarter, Battle Mountain trailed 18-13. Heading into the second quarter, the Lady Longhorn defense stayed intense and held the Bobcats to five points, before the half and cutting the lead to two points at 23-21.
“The girls played a nice game but did not get over the hump,” Tremayne said. “We missed some easy baskets late in the game and they outrebounded us in the second half. The girls are excited and looking forward to playing in the state tournament next week.”
The Longhorns ultimately would fall to the Bobcats 45-42 turning the ball over on their final possession. Melver led the Longhorns in scoring with 11 points. Slaybaugh added eight points and led the Longhorns with seven rebounds.
The loss slotted the Lady Longhorns into the No. 2 seed for the state tournament and will play the Lincoln County Lynx at 3 p.m., inside the Sparks High School gym.
