After enduring through a tough preseason, the McDermitt High School boys basketball team is starting to hit its stride.
The Bulldogs improved to 3-1 in the Eastern 1A with a pair of impressive victories on the road this past weekend.
McDermitt picked up 44 points from senior Cauy Crutcher, as he nearly outscored Carlin on Friday, Jan. 12, in an 85-53 victory over the Railroaders.
Crutcher netted 14 points in the opening eight minutes, including two 3-point field goals. However, Carlin hung around in the first quarter and trailed 24-18. Duane Horse added a pair of buckets in the opening quarter and Duane Masters contributed a 3-point field goal.
Crutcher netted 14 more points in the second quarter and sophomore Ben Draunidalo added 11 points, as the Bulldogs began to pull away from the Railroaders. McDermitt outscored Carlin 27-15 in the second quarter to lead 51-33 at halftime.
Crutcher scored 10 of McDermitt’s 12 points in the third quarter, with the help of two 3-pointers. He finished the night with six baskets from beyond the arc.
Carlin cut the deficit by a basket in the third quarter but it was all McDermitt after that. The Bulldogs closed out the contest on a 22-6 run to avoid any kind of upset.
“Cauy had a crazy night,” said MHS coach Jack Smith.
Draunidalo and Horse joined Crutcher in double figures with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Draunidalo also grabbed 10 rebounds to go with four rebounds and two steals.
Diego Navarro scored six points, Masters five and Joshua Miranda and Bruno Rincon had two points apiece. Masters led the squad with five assists and five steals.
Bulldogs rout Braves
McDermitt moved into a tie for second place in the Eastern 1A on the strength of an 84-61 win over Owyhee on Saturday, Jan. 13.
Crutcher could not equal his output from the night before but came close. The senior knocked down four 3-point fields goals and finished with 31 points. The 31 points came in the first three quarters.
The game was all but decided in the first eight minutes, as McDermitt outscored Owyhee 26-8. Horse, Draunidalo, Rincon, Navarro, Masters and Crutcher each shared the scoring wealth in the first quarter.
Crutcher netted 13 of the 17 points in the second quarter, as the Bulldogs led 43-23 at halftime. McDermitt maintained its double-digit lead throughout the second half and was not challenged by Owyhee.
Navarro and Masters finished with 15 points apiece. Masters made four 3-pointers. In addition, he had six assists, four steals and two rebounds. Navarro grabbed eight rebounds and had six steals.
Draunidalo finished with nine points, Horse eight and Rincon six.
Jackpot leads the league at 3-0 and Eureka and McDermitt are tied at 3-1. Eureka and McDermitt played Friday night on the Vandals’ home floor and results were not available at press time.
The top four finishers in the Estern 1A qualify for the Northern 1A Regional Championship on Feb. 15-17 in Reno.
McDermitt is back on the road on Friday, Jan. 26, to play Wells at 7:30 p.m. The Bulldogs head to Jackpot on Saturday, Jan. 27.
