The McDermitt High School girls basketball team waited a week longer to gets its season underway officially, but the extra practice time paid off.
The Lady Bulldogs went a perfect 4-0 at the Comstock Classic last weekend in Virginia City.
“We jumped off to a great start this past weekend,” said first-year head coach April Wilson.
McDermitt opened with a 57-49 win over Coleville, Calif., on Thursday, Dec. 12. The Lady Bulldogs shook off a slow start to score 37 points in the second half to secure the eight-point victory.
McDermitt led 9-4 after eight minutes of play, but were outscored 15-11 in the second quarter and held a 20-19 lead at halftime. The difference in the outcome was the third quarter, where McDermitt went on a 22-14 run.
Coleville had no answer for McDermitt’s Katie Crutcher, who had a game-high 31 points. She was 5-of-7 from the 3-point line and the Lady Bulldogs were 9-of-11 from beyond the arc – an 82% clip. The junior also grabbed five rebounds and had two steals.
“Katie was our high scorer for the weekend,” Wilson said. “She led the way in the game by attacking the basket and causing their defense to collapse. This gave our posts the opportunity to score as well.”
Jasmine Northrup, one of the two seniors on the squad, netted 14 points, including two 3-pointers. Fellow senior Meianah Bitt had seven points and freshman Rylee Wilkinson had five points.
In its first game on Friday, Dec. 13, McDermitt used a 17-0 run in the fourth quarter to beat Round Mountain 48-21.
The Knights did not score more than eight points in any quarter. McDermitt led 26-14 at halftime and were never threatened by Round Mountain.
Crutcher caught fire again from the 3-point line, going 4-for-4 with 27 points to outscore the Knights by herself.
Northrup added eight points, Kalli Sam five, Takayla Antonio three, Bitt and Wilkinson two each and Cayla Crutcher two.
“Jasmine and Meianah stepped up on defense,” added the coach. “We ran a 2-1-2 and Jasmine was everywhere as the middle position in our defense. She created turnovers for other teammates and gave us the opportunity to transition back on offense for an easy layup or a wide open jump shot. Meianah also stepped up offensively, especially in our first game which then set the tone for our whole weekend.”
In the second game on Friday, Dec. 13, McDermitt took on host Virginia City. The Lady Bulldogs held a slim four-point lead after eight minutes of play, but found themselves playing from behind the rest of the night.
The Muckers used a 13-2 run in the second quarter to go in front 28-21 at halftime. McDermitt was only able to cut into the deficit by one point going into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Bulldogs regained their form from the first quarter and rallied for the three-point win on the strength of a 16-7 run.
Northrup had a team-high 12 points, while Katie Crutcher and Bitt added nine points. Wilkinson had seven points, Cayla Crutcher six and Antonio five.
“Rylee, one of my freshmen, exceeded my expectations,” Wilson said. “She was aggressive on defense and on offense she was a threat as an outside shooter.”
McDermitt closed out the tournament on Saturday, Dec. 14, with a 58-25 win over Sierra Lutheran. The Lady Bulldogs raced out to a 23-5 lead after the first quarter and held the Falcons to single digits in every quarter.
Katie Crutcher had a team-high 15 points and Wilkinson and Northrup each had 12 points. Bitt added seven points, Cayla Crutcher six, Antonio four and Sam two.
“The girls worked together all weekend,” Wilson said. “With so many different ages and skill levels, they all exceeded my expectations for the weekend. We will continue to work hard and make the necessary changes in our preseason for the upcoming season.”
McDermitt hosted Pyramid Lake on Thursday and results were not available at press time.
The Lady Bulldogs travel to Walnut Creek, Calif., for the West Coast Jamboree from Dec. 27-30.McDermitt opens the tournament with Northgate, Calif. At 4 p.m. on Dec. 27. The Lady Bulldogs will play either North Medford (Ore.) or Los Banos (Calif.) on Dec. 28.
