Vikings secure 20th win
Viking guard John Giannoni III nailed a clutch three-pointer with 3 minutes, 17 seconds left to rally the South Tahoe High boys basketball team to a 64-54 victory at Reno on Wednesday night.
Giannoni led the Vikings with 16 points, including a pair of second-half treys that seemed to come at ideal times for the Northern Nevada 4A Division II regular season champions. South Tahoe (20-5) outscored Reno 21-7 in the decisive final quarter – and 41-19 in the second half – posting several quick buckets off Huskies turnovers.
Giannoni followed his fourth-quarter three with an easy layup as the Vikings were able to gut it for the duration against a foul-plagued Reno team. The Vikings trailed by as many as 15 in the first half, and appeared out of sync at times. Reno stifled the Vikes half-court offense, alternating between 1-2-2 and man-to-man defensive schemes.
South Tahoe trailed 35-24 after two periods, but clawed back into contention on the strength of some aggressive defense and timely shooting. A Giannoni three-pointer cut the Reno lead to 10 with 4 minutes left in the third. Tim Sprinkles sank a pair of free throws and Matt Williams connected on a 15-footer to make it a 41-35 game a minute later. Josh David added a layup at the 2:00 mark to drop the margin to four, but the two teams traded baskets to make it 47-43 after 24 minutes.
The Vikings struggled in the first half en route to an 11-point halftime deficit. South Tahoe converted just 6 of 19 from the field and missed all six of their first-half three-point attempts. Free throws kept the Vikes within striking distance, as the division champs sunk 12-of-17 attempts.
The Northern Nevada 4A zone tournament begins Feb. 17. South Tahoe will host a first-round game against either Sparks or Elko, both Division I teams.
South Tahoe will wrap up the regular season at home against Fallon Friday night. The Vikings beat the Greenwave 58-39 in their last meeting. Fallon is 5-6 in division and must win against the Vikings if they are to entertain any postseason hopes.
South Tahoe Girls Basketball:
In other hoops action, the South Tahoe girls basketball team had it tough in a 92-35 loss at Reno Wednesday night.
The Senators flirted with the century mark, reaching 54 points at halftime and 72 at the end of three quarters.
Back to Front Page
Support Local Journalism
Support Local Journalism
Readers around the Lake Tahoe Basin and beyond make the Tahoe Tribune's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.
Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.
Your donation will help us continue to cover COVID-19 and our other vital local news.
