RENO — The McDermitt High School boys basketball team went to the Northern 1A Regional Tournament with a 2-7 league record as the No. 4 seed from the East to take on the West No. 1 seed Sierra Lutheran (9-1).
The Bulldogs ended their season in Reno at Wooster High School on Thursday night when they went down to the Falcons 70-39.
"We played a good first quarter against a team that is so deep," said MHS coach Jack Smith. "They have 14 guys that are 6’ 1” or more. They were all swift. I think they had eight seniors, they were a good looking squad."
McDermitt started strong, ending the first quarter in a close game down only 11-8.
Sierra Lutheran went on a 10-point run in the second quarter, while the Bulldogs could only manage to score five points in the quarter, giving the Falcons a 37-13 advantage at the half.
“Scoring has been like pulling teeth for us this year,” Smith said. “But, I have to give that team credit, I have never seen a small school go 14 deep ever. Their rotation kept coming at us with fresh dudes. I played five, and he played 14; when he subbed he never missed a beat. Every guy was just as good as the next, there was no drop off.”
The third quarter saw the Bulldogs turn up the heat at the hoop, when they matched Sierra Lutheran’s 17 points in the period.
But the Falcons had a nine-point run towards the end of the fourth to help boost them to their 70-39 win.
Juniors Jagger Hinkey, Ben Draunidalo, and Waylon Nino will return to the Bulldogs next year, while seniors Andrew Villalobos and Ashton Alexander will be graduating this year.
Hinkey paced the McDermitt squad this season, averaging 18.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest while Draunidalo went 15.6 with 6.4 boards. Villalobos chipped in 2.7 points and grabbed 6.9 rebounds per game.
“These guys are better men after this season," Smith said. "They showed me a lot of character and we learned a lot of life skills. They have grown up and learned how to overcome adversity. That will help us improve and be a better program next year.”
