The Battle Mountain Longhorns defeated the West Wendover High School (WWHS) Wolverines on the road in a Northern 2A league match, extending their winning streak to 12 games. They remain the top seed in the league.
On Friday, Jan. 5, the Longhorns took the court against a tough West Wendover Wolverines team looking to take the lead in the league. The 8-4 Wolverines used their speed and dribbling penetration to score against the Longhorns but ultimately could not make enough shots down the stretch to keep up.
“The win in Wendover was a big one. They are one of the best teams in our league, and we played very well through three quarters, taking a 15-point lead early in the fourth,” explained Longhorns head coach Roger Wallock. “However, they stormed back with a trapping defense that allowed them to get back in the game. We made just enough free throws down the stretch to seal this important road league win.”
The Longhorns were locked in a back and forth battle with the Wolverines. They won the first quarter, out-scoring West Wendover 11-6, but failed to extend their lead at halftime, with the Wolverines winning the second quarter 21-19. The Longhorns went into the half with a small three-point lead at 30-27.
West Wendover out-rebounded Battle Mountain in the game, allowing only two offensive rebounds to the Longhorns. The Longhorns were able to counter the weak rebounding with precision shooting and above-average free throw shooting. By the end of the third quarter, the Longhorns had built a 49-31 lead and looked to walk away with the victory easily.
However, WWHS had different plans as they responded with several turnovers using a trapping defense in the fourth quarter. With only minutes left in the game, the Longhorns were able to hit enough free throws to close out the close match. The Longhorns defeated the Wolverines by a final score of 62-58 and now sit atop of the Northern 2A league standings.
The Longhorns were led in scoring by Miles Piramide, who finished the game with 20 points off six for 11 shots and two for three shots going in from the three-point line. Piramide also led the team in steals with four, and tied for the lead with power forward Gabe Naveran at three apiece. Senior forward Chris Figueroa scored 12 points against the Wolverines off four of nine shooting while Naveran led the team in rebounds with eight in the contest. Junior point guard Danny Diaz was third on the team in scoring with 11 points off four of seven shooting.
The Longhorns then turned their attention to the next game against the White Pine Bobcats with the Longhorns sitting at an overall record of 12-2 and 3-0 in league play. The Bobcats were coming into the game after a tough loss to Pershing County High School.
