Lady Mustangs are Vegas bound

Most of the Pershing County High School girls basketball team was in middle school six years ago. That’s how long it’s been since Pershing competed at state. 

Now Kaylen Halverson and Kaydance Happy graduate in a few months and it’s their turn to compete along with the rest of the squad.

“The girls set the goal of making state at the beginning of the year and they made sure they achieved that goal,” coach Lee Houston said. 

Last week Pershing County traveled to Incline High School for the Northern 2A Regional Championships. 

On Friday afternoon, Pershing County beat West Wendover 51-36. 

On Saturday, they lost to North Tahoe 39-26).

PCHS pulls away from West Wendover in second quarter

The Mustangs jumped out against West Wendover (8-0) but the Wolverines scored 9 points to take the first-quarter lead at 9-8. Pershing County nailed the second quarter and outscored its opponents 21-2.

The Mustangs pulled away and dominated the rest of the game, winning 51-36.

“Aaliyah Allen had a game,” Houston exclaimed. “She put on a post clinic when we needed it most, scoring a game high 16 points. We were impressed with our team’s confidence. Taylor Garland and Anna Happy handled the ball with poise while Raegan Burrows and Yasmine McKinney hassled West Wendover’s top player defensively.”

Kaydance Happy also scored in the double digits with 11 points, which helped Lovelock control the paint. Burrows netted nine points Anna Happy added eight.

North Tahoe wins regional title 

The Mustangs got back to Lovelock on Friday night. In a quick turnaround, they boarded the vans early Saturday to return to Incline and play North Tahoe for the zone championship. The Mustangs lost 39-26.

“The first half was a close battle as we had a two-point lead. The third quarter, which is the most important quarter in basketball, didn’t go well for us. In the end, North Tahoe outplayed us in the second half,” Houston said.

“We were unable to force turnovers and create easy opportunities. Only scoring 26 points will not win many games. Thank you to everyone who went up to Incline and supported us.”

Garland and Allen each scored six points. 

Mustangs will face Democracy Prep in first round of state

The Mustangs will play Democracy Prep (the Blue Knights) in the first round of the state tournament at Cox Pavilion on Friday. The game starts at 9 a.m. Meanwhile, at 12:20 p.m., North Tahoe plays Needles.

The winner of each game will meet at Thomas and Mack Center on the campus of UNLV on Saturday at 10 a.m. for the state championship game.