After six games on the road, West Wendover is heading back home. They will take on the North Tahoe Lakers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
West Wendover only won by two when they last took the court, which might have inspired the 29-point they dealt Silver Stage on Saturday. West Wendover blew past Silver Stage, posting a 44-15 win on the road.
West Wendover's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Nataly Gonzalez, who scored seven points along with nine rebounds and two steals. It was the first time this season that Gonzalez pulled down eight or more rebounds. Another player making a difference was Savannah Jimenez, who scored 11 points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, North Tahoe came tearing into Wednesday's game with 15 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 26.5 points) and they left with even more momentum. They breezed by Oasis Academy on the road to the tune of 51-23. Given North Tahoe's advantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 24th in California, while Oasis Academy is ranked 92nd in Nevada), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
West Wendover's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-8. As for North Tahoe, their win bumped their record up to 19-2.
West Wendover came up short against North Tahoe when the teams last played back in January, falling 32-24. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of North Tahoe's Laura Couwenhoven, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds. Now that West Wendover knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
