Travis Donaldson, Trenton Rhodes, Efrain Aceves and Michael Reitz go for a rebound against Incline on Saturday afternoon at PCHS.
The Pershing County County boys basketball team had mixed results this past week. First, they traveled to Carson City and beat the Sierra Lutheran Falcons in a close midweek contest (51-46).
On Saturday afternoon, Pershing County hosted the Incline Highlanders, the top-ranked team in the 2A (11-0). Incline led throughout the game but the Mustangs almost caught up with them a few times. The Highlanders had height on their side, with 11 players over six-feet, according to their roster. The final score was 55-32, Incline.
Pershing County now stands at 7-11, overall, and 6-5 in the 2A Northern league.
Mustangs pull off comeback win against Sierra Lutheran
“We played hard against Sierra but unfortunately our shooting was flat. We shot 16/62 field goal,” said coach Jesse Canchola. “We got as far as 13 points down with three minutes to go in the third. The kids stayed together, played harder and pulled off a comeback win.”
Travis Donaldson led the scoring with 17 points. Izayuh McGlothin and Trenton Rhodes each had eight. Aaron Kienbaum and Michael Reitz tallied seven points each.
Mustangs lose to Incline Highlanders
“Against Incline, we came out with the mindset we can compete. I think the boys did just that. We got within six points before the barrage of threes from Incline. Unfortunately it was a deficit we couldn’t overcome. That being said, we were happy as a coaching staff,” said Canchola.
Trenton Rhodes scored 10 of Pershing County’s points. Michel Reitz took care of another seven.
On Tuesday, Jan. 23, Pershing County traveled to CASR. Results were not available at press time.
Upcoming games
On Friday, Jan. 26, the Mustangs host rival school Battle Mountain. Historically, both towns show up en masse to support their players, making for a festive atmosphere. It will be their second match this season. Battle Mountain beat the Mustangs (79-50) on Dec.21 at BMHS.
On Saturday, Jan. 27, the Mustangs host West Wendover at 3:30 p.m. It will also be their second meeting. On Dec. 22 Pershing County lost to the Wolverines (71-33) at West Wendover High School.
Along with Incline, the Wolverines stand at the top of the 2A, undefeated in league play (10-0). The Wolverines will be a challenge for the Mustangs but they’ve shown they’re not afraid to play tough teams. The boys often play their best against the top teams. The coaches and players hope for big turnouts at both home games.