After both having extra time off, the West Wendover Wolverines and the Battle Mountain Longhorns will shake off the cobwebs and face off against one another at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. West Wendover's defense has only allowed 29.3 points per game this season, so Battle Mountain's offense will have their work cut out for them.
West Wendover easily dispatched Incline last Friday, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. West Wendover fell just short of North Tahoe by a score of 41-39 last Saturday. The Wolverines have struggled against the Lakers recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive lost matchup.
| 12/21/24 @ North Tahoe | 4 |
| 12/20/24 @ Incline | 5 |
| 12/14/24 @ Pershing County | 4 |
| 12/13/24 @ Coral Academy of Science - Reno | 2 |
| 12/07/24 vs Lund | 4 |
The losing side was boosted by Shay Neaman, who went 7 for 11 on her way to 15 points in addition to six rebounds and four steals. She has been hot, having posted two or more steals the last five times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Nataly Gonzalez-Haro, who posted eight points and three steals.
Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Battle Mountain's strategy against Incline last Saturday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Battle Mountain blew Incline out of the water with a 47-10 final score. The Longhorns have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four contests by 25 points or more this season.
Battle Mountain found their leader in sophomore Paitynn Johns, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 17 boards. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Johns has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Harlee Andersen, who had five points in addition to six boards and three steals.
Battle Mountain was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
West Wendover now has a losing record at 4-5. As for Battle Mountain, their win bumped their record up to 8-2.
West Wendover didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Battle Mountain in their previous meeting back in January, but they still walked away with a 38-32 victory. Will West Wendover repeat their success, or does Battle Mountain have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
