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Klansek outshines Hatches as Vikings upset Wooster

Steve Yingling, Tribune sports editor

Friday night after-game practices may become a ritual for South Tahoe High boys’ basketball team.

The Vikings boys practiced following a 66-59 defeat at Carson on Friday and it showed Tuesday as STHS upset Wooster 62-50 in a Sierra Division game in Reno.

“The kids just want to win so badly. It’s nice to see them rewarded for all that hard work,” said STHS coach Derek Allister. “Nobody knows how hard these kids are working, so I’m just happy for them.”



Niko Klansek, a tranfer from Slovenia, delivered his biggest game in a blue- and-gold uniform, scoring 32 points. He and Wooster star Julian Hatcher each had 20 points at halftime as the Vikings led 30-28.

“For some reason Niko got assertive offensively,” Allister said. “He’s shown flashes of this in practice, but he’s never done it in a game. It was quite an impressive performance.”



But Hatcher, who torched the Vikings for 42 points in one game last year, was limited to five points in the second half. Seniors Chris Comsi and Keenyn Wallace were responsible, in part, for Hatcher’s struggles in the final 16 minutes.

“We rotated to him a lot quicker and tried to take away his threes,” Allister said. “He was having to pick up (his dribble) and pass from 15 feet and that helped us a lot.”

STHS took a 43-39 lead into the final period and pulled away in the final 2 1/2 minutes.

Curtis Johnson contributed 13 points, 12 rebounds and six assists for the Vikings. Freshman Jared Wood started and collected six rebounds, four rebounds and two assists.

STHS, 1-1 in division play, meets David Padgett and the Reno Huskies at 7 p.m. Friday in South Lake Tahoe.

The Viking junior varsity improved to 4-0 with a 57-44 triumph over Wooster. Daniel Tinlin and Mikey Van Gorden scored 13 points apiece.

McGowan held down by Viking girls

A young South Tahoe High girls’ basketball team held Wooster star Brianne McGowan to 18 fewer points than she scored in the last meeting in a Sierra Division game Tuesday in Reno.

McGowan scored 19 points as the Colts rolled to a 64-15 victory. McGowan had 37 points when Wooster eliminated STHS in a zone play-in game last February.

With two freshmen, two sophomores and a junior seeing most of the Vikings’ playing time because of disciplinary action, STHS used a box-in-one defense to limit McGowan’s chances. Jessica Lopez assumed most of the responsibility for guarding McGowan, and STHS coach Chris Proctor was pleased with the results.

“She did an excellent job,” Proctor said. “She had no fear and really played hard.”

Lopez also led the Vikings with six points.

Wooster bolted to a 14-0 lead before the Vikings scored their first point.

“Our biggest area to improve is thinking more aggressively on offense,” Proctor said. “Our effort continues to be the best, and that is all I’m asking for.”

STHS (0-2, 1-8) will play host to Reno in its home opener Friday at 5:15 p.m.


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