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‘Not in our house’: South Tahoe rallies past rival Truckee

Junior Phil Adina looks for an open teammate against Truckee.
Justin Scacco/Sierra Sun

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — The South Tahoe boys’ basketball team snapped Truckee’s six-game winning streak on Monday, taking a 47-33 win at home in front of a large, rowdy crowd.

The Vikings defense allowed one field goal during the final quarter as they turned a one-point lead going into the final period into a double-digit win. South Tahoe also fought back from an 11-point deficit at halftime.

After the game, the Vikings could be heard in the locker room shouting ‘not in our house.”



“We just stopped the drive, overall,” said senior guard Joel Gomez. “We just knew it’s our game. It’s a big rivalry. You can’t come into our house and get the win.”

The two teams struggled offensively in the early going, combing for 37 points in the first half, but Vikings junior Phil Adina provided a spark with 10 points to send South Tahoe into the locker room trailing 21-16.



Adina would go on to sink four free throws in third quarter while junior Jay Butterfass added a three-pointer as part of six points in the frame to give the Vikings a 32-21 lead going into fourth.

From there, South Tahoe’s defense took over, forcing several turnovers on the way to outscoring Truckee 15-2 during the final quarter of play.

Adina led South Tahoe with 16 points, and Butterfass scored seven points. Senior Ronan Fisher, senior Christopher Haven, and sophomore Andre Smith each added six points.

South Tahoe will travel to play Hug on Wednesday.

After a tough preseason where all three levels played primarily upper division schools, South Tahoe has quickly established themselves as a title contender. The varsity stands at 4-1 in the West League of Division 3 and is currently tied for first place with Truckee (4-1).

“I am really proud of how these guys stepped up after a poor first half of shooting and then turned it around by repeatedly getting to the basket in the second half,” said Vikings Head Coach Tom Maurer. “Senior Chris Haven and others did a great job on Truckee’s leading scorer holding him to just six points.” 

The junior varsity Vikings are 4-0 in league and 8-7 overall after three straight dominating league wins. Those wins, 46-28 over North Valley, 58-33 over Sparks, 58-29 over Hug and 61-16 over Truckee, have helped the team bounce back after struggling earlier in the season with six freshmen playing at the JV level.  

Coach Phil Bryant said, “We have great leadership with sophomore captains Ryder Tannaci and Ryder Preston. Tannaci has been a consistent scorer at the rim and mixes well with the freshmen perimeter shooters Esha Davis and Parker Bryant.  Preston handles the ball for us and keeps things under control. We have been getting big games on defense from freshman Marcus Haven and Adrian Smith.”  

In the four league wins Tannaci has averaged 17.5 points per game with a high of 31 against Sparks. Bryant and Davis have each averaged over 10 points a game in those same four games.  

South Tahoe’s Andre Smith drives into the paint against Truckee.
Justin Scacco/Sierra Sun
South Tahoe’s cheer squad performs during the Vikings win against Truckee.
Justin Scacco/Sierra Sun
South Tahoe Head Coach Tom Maurer brings the Vikings in late during the team’s win against rivals Truckee.
Justin Scacco/Sierra Sun
South Tahoe’s Andre Smith backs down a Truckee defender late in the Vikings win against the Wolverines.
Justin Scacco/Sierra Sun
Senior Joel Gomez finishes a drive to the basket during the Vikings’ win against Truckee.
Justin Scacco/Sierra Sun
Junior Phil Adina takes a shot against Truckee.
Justin Scacco/Sierra Sun
Andre Smith takes a shot against Truckee during South Tahoe’s 47-33 win against the Wolverines.
Justin Scacco/Sierra Sun

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