The regional playoff chances for the Battle Mountain boys basketball team took a hit this past weekend in Lyon County with a pair of losses in the Northern 2A.
The Longhorns were in Silver Springs on Friday night and lost 63-28 to Silver Stage. Battle Mountain moved over to Yerington on Saturday and lost 70-52 to the Lions.
Longhorns struggle at Nighthawks
Battle Mountain could not find its offensive touch on Friday night, scoring just five points in the second half against Silver Stage. The Nighthawks outscored the Longhorns 33-5 in the second half.
“It was another rough scoring night for us against Silver Stage,” said BMHS coach Roger Wallock. “We just can't seem to score during large stretches of time and that makes it tough to continue to be motivated. We had no answer for the big kid, he dominated the paint.”
The contest was close through 16 minutes of play, with Silver Stage leading 13-9 after the first quarter and 30-23 at halftime.
Roy Chavira returned to the lineup and paced the Longhorns with nine points, six rebounds and two assists. Danny Diaz added six points and Aldo Castellanos had four points. Marcus Jury added two points and three steals.
Yerington knocks off Battle Mountain
Battle Mountain found its offensive groove a day later in Yerington but could not overcome 10 3-point field goals by the Lions.
Yerington opened up an 18-12 lead after eight minutes of play and extended the gap to 40-26 at halftime. The Lions led by 19 points in the third quarter, when Battle Mountain outscored Yerington 14-13 in the fourth quarter.
DJ Martinez had a team-high 14 points to go with nine rebounds. Danny Diaz added 12 points, five assists and two steals. Marcus Jury had 12 points, four assists, two blocks and two steals. Castellanos grabbed seven rebounds and Alex Valles had four assists.
“We were much better offensively against Yerington but they shot very well from deep, making ten 3-pointers,” Wallock said. “We have a hard time maintaining any momentum, we will get a steal or a rebound after a good defensive stand and then turn it right back over.”
West Wendover leads the league at 11-1, while Incline is second at 10-1 and Yerington is third at 9-2. Silver Stage (8-3) is fourth and North Tahoe (5-6) and White Pine (4-8) are fifth and sixth, respectively.
The top six teams qualify for the regional tournament at Sparks High School from Feb. 21-23. Battle Mountain (3-9) is currently seventh in the league.
Battle Mountain makes its final regular season road trip of the year this week, starting Thursday in Incline at 7:30 p.m. The Longhorns travel to North Tahoe on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. tip.
Battle Mountain is back home on Tuesday, Feb. 5, to play Pershing County at 7:30 p.m.
