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Warriors move about .500 in division play

by dan thomas

Whittell High welcomed Yerington to the wacky world of Northern Nevada 3A boys basketball on Wednesday with a 60-49 home win.

The Warriors, who couldn’t keep within a dozen points of Incline last week, faced off with the Lions, who shelled the Highlanders. But the outcome was anything but forgone: Whittell emerged from a close first half in Zephyr Cove to outscore Yerington 49-38 over the final three quarters and improve to 1-2 in league play, 6-7 overall.

“It’s definitely nice for everyone to contribute to the offense,” said Whittell senior guard Avery Norman, who led the Warriors with 12 points despite having a rough night controlling the ball. “We were a bit sloppy today, and that’s probably becaue our practice yesterday was kind of sloppy, and I think our game reflected that a little bit.”



Still, the Warriors, who beat Dayton on Saturday for their first league win, were pleased with the end result. Senior forward Todd Echan added 11 points for Whittell, which had seven players with at least five points, and nine players score.

“I’m happy,” said Whittell head coach Steve Maltase. “Anytime we can get a win in the league I’m happy. That’s the big thing.”



Whittell’s defense held Yerington to just 30 points before the final quarter. It also helped create offense by forcing Yerington into turnovers that led to fast breaks. Whittell also was able to work its inside-outside game, as Yerington couldn’t keep Echan out of the paint.

“I think they tried a veriety of things: zone, man,” Echan said. “I think our team played well in breaking it and came out with with a win.”

Yerington dropped to 2-12 overall, 1-2 in Northern Nevada 3A play. Whittell returns to action on Friday with a 7:30 p.m. home game against Rite of Passage. The Warriors are off to their best start under Maltase and their best in recent memory. But the league games loom large.

“I think it’s going to boil down to who wants it more than the others and matchups,” Maltase said.

Josh Allen led Yerington with 12 points.


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