Reno Bighorns vs. Rio Grande Valley Vipers, December 1, 2016

                                                                                   

Thursday, December 1, 2016                    Kyle Jones: kjones@renobighorns.com

BIGHORNS FALL SHORT TO THE VIPERS

RENO, Nev. —- The Reno Bighorns (2-6) fell to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (6-2) 103-83 Thursday night at the Reno Events Center.

Sacramento Kings Assignment Player Skal Labissiere led the Bighorns with 20 points and six rebounds while Kings Affiliate Player Lamar Patterson added 18 points, two rebounds and two assists. Chane Behanan notched nine points and seven rebounds in the Thursday night contest.

Darius Morris paces the Vipers with 21 points, six rebounds and six assists as Jarvis Threatt tallied 17 points and five rebounds.

The opening minutes of the first frame was a tight battle that saw three lead changes in three minutes as the Bighorns held the edge over the Vipers until Le’Bryan Nash sunk two free throws after being fouled by Patterson. The Vipers would jump out to a 16-point lead heading into the second quarter.

The two teams remained scoreless the first two minutes of play in the second quarter before Nash scored a free throw. The Bighorns responded with a floating jumper by Patterson and a layup from Labissiere to close the deficit to 15. The Vipers would maintain their double digit lead over the Bighorns before the Bighorns responded with a late 5-0 run to end the first half trailing the Vipers 54-32.

Labissiere ended the first half behind a 4-4 shooting effort, totaling 16 points.

The Bighorns outscored the Vipers 29-23 in the third quarter behind two triples from Patterson and a 2-3 shooting effort from Labissiere. The Bighorns chipped away at the Vipers lead cutting the deficit to 15 after a triple from Patterson with 4:15 remaining to play in third. Kings Assignment Player Geogios Papagiannis added the final points for the Bighorns in the third after a layup with 30 second in play. The Vipers led the Bighorns 77-61 entering the final quarter.

Patterson opened the fourth quarter with a three cutting the deficit to 79-66 with just under 10:00 remaining in play.  The Bighorns were able to come within 13 points during the final frame, but were unable to overcome the Vipers lead, ultimately dropping 103-83 to the Vipers.

The Bighorns will travel to Arizona to take on the Northern Arizona Suns on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. PST.

–bighorns—

About the Reno Bighorns:

The Reno Bighorns are a member of the NBA Development League, the official minor league of the NBA. The Bighorns are affiliated with the Sacramento Kings. Season tickets for the 2016-17 season are on sale now! For more information, call the Bighorns front office at 775-853-8220 or visit RenoBighorns.com. Follow us on Twitter @renobighorns and “like” the Bighorns on Facebook at facebook.com/bighornshoops. The NBA Development League is the NBA’s official minor league, preparing players, coaches, officials, trainers, and front-office staff for the NBA while acting as the league’s research and development laboratory. Featuring 22 teams with direct affiliations with NBA franchises for the 2016-17 season, the league offers elite professional basketball at an affordable price in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. An all-time high 38 percent of all NBA players at the end of the 2015-16 season boasted NBA D-League experience. In fostering the league’s connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote health and wellness, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA D-League Cares programs. Fans can watch all NBA D-League games on nbadleague.com.

Reno Bighorns vs. Santa Cruz Warriors, November 27, 2016

Sunday, November 27, 201                     Kyle Jones: kjones@renobighorns.com

BIGHORNS CRUISE TO VICTORY OVER THE WARRIORS

RENO, NV —- The Reno Bighorns (2-5) defeated to the Santa Cruz Warriors (2-4) 100-84 Sunday night at the Reno Events Center.

Sacramento Kings assignment player, Malachi Richardson logged his first double-double of the season with 24 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals. Assignment player, Skal Labissiere added 18 points, four rebounds and three steals for the Bighorns while affiliate player Lamar Patterson had 13 points and five rebounds in the Sunday night contest.

Elgin Cook paced the Warriors with 27 points and four rebounds as Cameron Jones tallied 16 points, five rebounds and five assists.

The Warriors jumped out to an early 9-4 lead and led by more than eight mid-way through the first. The Bighorns responded going on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 18 with 2:17 left to play in the first frame. Santa Cruz controlled the lead the remainder of the quarter, winning the frame 21-20.

The Bighorns controlled the second quarter, winning the frame 51-35. After a jumper from Labissiere with 10:43 on the clock, the Bighorns took a 25-23 lead that they would never relinquish. The Bighorns went on a 20-3 run spurred by a three from Ayers to begin the second quarter making is a 40-24 game with 5:50 left to play in the first quarter. Jones hit a layup to give the Warriors their first points in over four minutes before Richardson sank a three with 3:41 to play in the third. The Bighorns went into the locker room at the half leading the Warriors 51-35.

The Bighorns shot 43.9% from the field in the first half compared to the Warriors shooting 34.1%.

The Bighorns had the early jump on the Warriors after Richardson drained a triple in the first minute of the second half to hold a 19 point advantage of over the Warriors. The Bighorns maintained a double digit lead over the Warriors throughout the quarter, leading by as much as 22. Labissiere scored 10 of his 18 points in the third.

The two teams remained scoreless the first the first two minutes of the fourth quarter before Richardson hit a layup to give the Bighorns an 85-63 lead. The Warriors closed the deficit to 12 after a free throw from Cook at the 3:55 mark. The Bighorns went on a late 8-2 run to finish the game with an emphatic 16-point margin of victory.

Richardson scored 15 of his 24 points in the second half.

The Bighorns will host the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the contest will begin at $12. Fans can visit renobighorns.com to purchase tickets or call the Bighorns front office at 775-853-8220.

–bighorns—

About the Reno Bighorns:

The Reno Bighorns are a member of the NBA Development League, the official minor league of the NBA. The Bighorns are affiliated with the Sacramento Kings. Season tickets for the 2016-17 season are on sale now! For more information, call the Bighorns front office at 775-853-8220 or visit RenoBighorns.com. Follow us on Twitter @renobighorns and “like” the Bighorns on Facebook at facebook.com/bighornshoops. The NBA Development League is the NBA’s official minor league, preparing players, coaches, officials, trainers, and front-office staff for the NBA while acting as the league’s research and development laboratory. Featuring 22 teams with direct affiliations with NBA franchises for the 2016-17 season, the league offers elite professional basketball at an affordable price in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. An all-time high 38 percent of all NBA players at the end of the 2015-16 season boasted NBA D-League experience. In fostering the league’s connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote health and wellness, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA D-League Cares programs. Fans can watch all NBA D-League games on nbadleague.com.

Reno Bighorns vs. Texas Legends, November 22, 2016

 

 

Tuesday, November 23, 2016                    Kyle Jones: kjones@renobighorns.com

BIGHORNS DEFEAT TEXAS WITH BUZZER BEATER FINISH

RENO, NV —- The Reno Bighorns (1-4) defeated to the Texas Legends (1-2) 110-108 Tuesday night at the Reno Events Center.

Sacramento Kings affiliate player, Lamar Patterson, led the Bighorns with 27 points, four rebounds, three assists and five steals. Kings assignment player, Malachi Richardson, followed Patterson close with 26 points two rebounds and three assists while assignment player Skal Labissiere had 21 points and eight rebounds in the Tuesday night contest. Isaiah Cousins would log his first double-double of the season with 16 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

Jameel Warney paced the Legends with 24 points and seven rebounds as Manny Harris notched 19 points, ten rebounds and three assists.

The Bighorns jumped out to an early 5-2 lead and led by more than eight mid-way through the first. The Legends would go on an 8-0 run to lead the Bighorns 21-18 with 2:30 left to play in the first frame. Texas would keep control of the lead the remainder of the quarter, winning the frame 34-26. Labissiere would score 13 of his 21 points in the quarter behind a 6-7 shooting effort.

Legend’s Bryson Fonville sank a three in the opening minutes of the second quarter. The Bighorns responded with an 8-0 run behind a dunk from Cousins to edge the Legends 43-39 at the 7:19 mark. The Bighorns reclaimed the lead (53-49) after triples from Richardson and Patterson with 3:00 remaining in the first half. The Bighorns won the frame 31-17, going into the locker room at the half with a 57-51 lead.

The Bighorns shot 46.7% from the field in the first half compared to the Legends shooting 43.5%.

The Legends would chip away at the Bighorns lead, coming within two points (59-57) with 8:38 remaining in the third quarter. Cousins hit a three giving the Bighorns a seven point lead mid-way though the quarter. The Bighorns would control the lead going into the final frame with an 80-76 lead over the Legends.

The fourth quarter was a tightly contested battle that saw six lead changes and four ties. Legends’ C.J. Williams opened up the frame with a three to make the score 82-79 with 10:15 left in play. The Legends continued to close the deficit before a triple from Fonville gave the Legends a 91-90 lead at the 7:44 mark. Texas would get a five point advantage before the Bighorns answered with a 6-2 run to make it a one point Legends lead. With 2:24 remaining in play, Patterson stepped to the line and scored two after being fouled by Fonville giving the Bighorns a one point advantage. Richardson drove to the basket to score a layup to give the Bighorns a 108-106 advantage. With 16.7 in play, Warney scored two to tie the game at 108. On the final possession, Richardson would hit a jumper with .10 left in play to secure a 110-108 victory over the Texas Legends.

The Bighorns will Travel to Prescott, AZ to face the Northern Arizona Stars on Friday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m

–bighorns—

About the Reno Bighorns:

The Reno Bighorns are a member of the NBA Development League, the official minor league of the NBA. The Bighorns are affiliated with the Sacramento Kings. Season tickets for the 2016-17 season are on sale now! For more information, call the Bighorns front office at 775-853-8220 or visit RenoBighorns.com. Follow us on Twitter @renobighorns and “like” the Bighorns on Facebook at facebook.com/bighornshoops. The NBA Development League is the NBA’s official minor league, preparing players, coaches, officials, trainers, and front-office staff for the NBA while acting as the league’s research and development laboratory. Featuring 22 teams with direct affiliations with NBA franchises for the 2016-17 season, the league offers elite professional basketball at an affordable price in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. An all-time high 38 percent of all NBA players at the end of the 2015-16 season boasted NBA D-League experience. In fostering the league’s connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote health and wellness, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA D-League Cares programs. Fans can watch all NBA D-League games on nbadleague.com.

Reno Bighorns vs. Oklahoma City Blue, November 19, 2016

Saturday, November 19, 2016                          Kyle Jones: kjones@renobighorns.com

BIGHORNS FALL TO OKLAHOMA AT HOME

RENO, NV —- The Reno Bighorns fell to the Oklahoma City Blue 106-97 Thursday night at the Reno Events Center.

Malachi Richardson, who is on assignment from the Sacramento Kings, led the Bighorns with 28 points and three rebounds while Kings affiliate player, Lamar Patterson had 20 points, six rebounds and seven assists in the Saturday night contest. Affiliate player, Isaiah Cousins,, tallied 11 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Dakari Johnson led the Blue scoring 24 points, 10 rebounds and three assists while Reggie Williams notched 21 points, four rebounds and two assists.

The first quarter was tightly contested that saw four ties. The two teams matched each other point for point until the Bighorns pulled away after back-to-back triples from Cousins making it a 14-7 game at the 7:30 mark. The Bighorns controlled their lead until the Blue went on a 7-2 run to tie the game at 25 to end the first frame.

In the opening minutes of the second, Blue’s Myke Henry hit a three. The Bighorns would respond with an 11-4 run midway through the quarter behind two threes from Richardson making it a 40-37 Bighorns lead at the 4:30 mark. The two teams would exchange buckets matching points. The frame saw five lead changes and three ties. The Blue won the second 25-24, making it a 50-49 game at the half.

Richardson would go 3-3 from behind the arc in the first half.

Richardson would make a jumper to open the third quarter before the Blue would go on a 6-2 run to take a 58-51 lead over the Bighorns. The Blue would outscore the Bighorns 19-24 in the frame.

The Bighorns would go on a 6-0 run early in the fourth cutting the deficit to three. Blue’s Jannero Pargo would sink back-to-back threes making it a 84-75 game with 7:27 left in play. Cousins drained a three with an assist from Patterson mid-way through the quarter to close the deficit to seven. Patterson’s triple with .15 left in play wouldn’t be enough to pull the Bighorns past the Blue. The Blue would not surrender the lead, defeating the Bighorns 106-97.

Patterson scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half.

The Bighorns will host the Texas Legends on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the game will begin at $12. Fans can visit renobighorns.com to purchase tickets or call the Bighorns front office at 775-853-8220.

–bighorns—

About the Reno Bighorns:

The Reno Bighorns are a member of the NBA Development League, the official minor league of the NBA. The Bighorns are affiliated with the Sacramento Kings. Season tickets for the 2016-17 season are on sale now! For more information, call the Bighorns front office at 775-853-8220 or visit RenoBighorns.com. Follow us on Twitter @renobighorns and “like” the Bighorns on Facebook at facebook.com/bighornshoops. The NBA Development League is the NBA’s official minor league, preparing players, coaches, officials, trainers, and front-office staff for the NBA while acting as the league’s research and development laboratory. Featuring 22 teams with direct affiliations with NBA franchises for the 2016-17 season, the league offers elite professional basketball at an affordable price in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. An all-time high 38 percent of all NBA players at the end of the 2015-16 season boasted NBA D-League experience. In fostering the league’s connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote health and wellness, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA D-League Cares programs. Fans can watch all NBA D-League games on nbadleague.com.

2016 NIAA Northern Regional Championship Soccer, November 5, 2016

Damonte Ranch High School hosted the 2016 NIAA 4A Northern Regional Championship Soccer matches on this BEAUTIFUL Northern Nevada Fall day, WOW is about all I can say for the conditions!  I was chatting with Jay Beesemyer after the boys game how good the weather always seems to be for the Northern Region Championship games… we’re lucky! (watch, next year will be snowing… 🙂 )

I’m going to just flat out say it, MOST all of Northern Nevada missed great soccer games today… I unfortunately had to leave after the boys game but the boys game was hard fought as one would expect.  Galena eeked out the win 1-0 on a 7th minute free kick… SUPER tough angle for the goal keeper to judge and even see the ball with the sun and that was the lone goal, that one minor detail that has so many countless times been the deciding factor in a game where the teams are so closely matched.  Tough loss for Carson, great win for Galena who will for sure represent Northern Nevada well at the State Tournament next week in Vegas.

On to the photos… you’ll see very quickly the theme that jumped out at me… this was a battle…

See more images on the site (menus to the left or the links below)

Carson High Athletics

Galena High Athletics

A very early celebration from a goal off a free kick… this would be the only goal of the match!GOAL!!! Galena High Soccer Carson High Soccer Galena High Soccer

A blocked shot on goal…
Blocked shot Galena High Soccer

They fought this PAST the end line of the field… yea, it was a little scary as they were coming right at me… 🙂
Challenge to the end, Carson High Soccer I guess technically speaking that’s not REALLY legal… but… 🙂Carson High Soccer, Peter Garrett Carson High Soccer, Peter Garrett Carson High Soccer, Peter Garrett

A CRACKING shot on goal, hit the football uprights and rang out pretty loud…Galena High Soccer Shot on Goal A contest for every ball, Galena High Soccer 161105_8507 161105_8524 Love the determination on his face!161105_8547 Jay Beesemyer with the coveted trophy!  Congrats Galena on a great season!  Go represent Northern Nevada at the State Tournament!Champions, Galena High Boys Soccer Champions, Galena High Boys Soccer

2016 Carson High Football vs. Douglas, October 28, 2016

If someone asked you to define a rivalry game, how would you answer? I’m sure you could blurt out well known rivalries, Yankees vs. Red Sox, Giants vs. Dodgers, Cowboys vs. Giants… Carson vs. Douglas… if you live anywhere in Northern Nevada you’re aware of the Carson Douglas rivalry… well tonight’s, as a rivalry game, did NOT disappoint… Douglas put up some late 4th quarter points and played some tough defense and walked out of Carson’s field with a 31-17 win.

I’d say as in most rivalry games you’re likely to see things that you might not have seen at any point in the season and well… the things last night were plentiful. I cannot imagine the amount of tape that was watched in prep for tonight’s game… I think the thing that will define the night for me was the hard hits that were happening, they were plentiful and some memorable, as in knock out mouth pieces memorable.  I know the pure definition of smash mouth football is more of an offensive term but the “idea” of “smash mouth” comes to mind when I think about the hits and more importantly the sounds of the hits from tonight’s game… WOW!  The other thing I’ll take with me, the horrible officiating…

I’m only going to touch briefly on the officiating because these kind of things get people in trouble with the NIAA and we don’t want that… 🙂  But honestly… last night was the worst I’ve seen of the season… in what is likely the deepest rivalry game of the season in Northern Nevada and THIS is the team of refs we got?  In any sport, the officials job also includes NOT effecting the outcome of the game… and no, I’m not going to say there weren’t other things that weren’t as big of a factor in a win or a loss (depends if you’re Carson or Douglas…) last night but when a “non fan” of the game of football is so disgusted by the horrible calls of the referees… alright, enough of that… well, just one photo… and Coach would never say this but I can say it for him… 🙂

Simple caption…

WTF…

Coach Blair Roman

On to the photos… 🙂

You have to appreciate the dedication of getting to the field early to get the front row!  Several of your 2016 Sierra League Soccer Champs in that front row tonight!!

The Fans, Carson High

Sideline buddies!  I know there are families that come to games… but there are also families formed BECAUSE of games… we spend a lot of time together over the course of a year, we get to share the ups and downs, it’s a lot of fun.

Love those smiles ladies!Sideline Buddies

And onto the game… I’ve said this before in prior posts this year about games with a high amount of running plays, particularly one’s up the middle… yawn… kinda boring from a photographic standpoint… but none the less, that’s what we have we still need to make some pictures!

Carson’s Sheldon Miller bringing down Douglas Quarterback Hunter Hickey.Douglas High Tigers

Clawing for another inch…Rivalry Football

I just like this shot… seems like he’s saying, “… we’re coming, are you ready?”
Carson High Senators

What’s come to be known on the sidelines as “The Abel Carter Show” once again did not disappoint with just over 200 yards rushing on the night… hard not to aim the camera at Abel… how many hundreds of photos do you suppose I have of him?Abel Carter, Carson High Senators

2016 Manogue High Soccer vs. Carson, October 15, 2016

Bishop Manogue High hosted Carson High today for some NIAA Northern Region Soccer action… The Senators took both Varsity games in some amazing wind… the wind was strong enough that it was blowing the ball backward in the air, it was something I’ve never seen in all my 36 years of being involved with soccer… I’ve seen it slow the ball but never cause it to actually go backward…

Here are some action shots from the two games…

Bishop Manogue Soccer, Carson High Soccer Bishop Manogue Soccer, Carson High Soccer Bryne Lehman, Carson High Bishop Manogue High Soccer Bryne Lehman, Carson High

2016 Damonte Ranch High Football vs. Carson, October 14, 2016

The wind, the wind, the wind… it was a factor for sure but Damonte seemed better prepared for the game and injuries have certainly changed Carson’s season… Damonte hosted Carson for homecoming and the streak of Sierra League wins came to an end for the Senators…

Damonte Ranch Quarterback Cade McNamara (a sophomore…) passed for five touchdowns on the night….

Cade McNamara Damonte Ranch

The Abel Carter show wasn’t enough tonight for Carson… Damonte clearly had watched some tape! 🙂 Abel Carter, Carson High

This pass… led to…Cade McNamara, Damonte Ranch

This touchdown…161014_7456

Damonte vs. Carson has grown to be quite a rivalry, with battles for every yard at all positions… both teams tend to bring it during this matchup…
161014_7465

2016 Bishop Manogue High Football vs. Carson, October 7, 2016

Even for the non-football fan, last night’s game was an interesting one… Bishop Manogue held the ball for nearly the first eight minutes of the game and drove the ball, seemingly right down the field and scored their first touchdown to begin the game… they chewed a ton of time off the clock and ran what seemed like a ton of plays… and at least for the first Carson drive, which included a beautiful Jace Keema pass to Brandon Gagnon, Carson didn’t seem to have their killer plays with them… but like I said… for the first drive…

Carson got their bearings with the Manogue offense and started to make stops and then the Abel Carter show started… 🙂 For his longest touchdown run I was behind them in the end zone and was able to see the massive hole the Carson O-Line opened for Abel… no joke, you could have driven a VERY large vehicle through the hole and off to the end zone went Abel… Good job O-line!  … and to Abel of course too!

Games like this with a lot of inside runs are tough to photograph… a big mash of players fighting in the trenches doesn’t make for very interesting photos, no faces, no ball, who even knows where the ball is sometimes… so the raw photo count from the night’s game aren’t plentiful, but there were some moments that I grabbed that I liked…

One of Brandon Gagnon’s receptions on the night… how much better would this be if he was facing me! 🙂Brandon Gagnon, Carson High

Manogue Quarterback William Hauck passing the ball…
William Hauck, Bishop Manogue High

Carson’s Spencer Rogers working for a few more yards…Spencer Rogers, Carson High

There were a few players on the Manogue team that played their youth football in Carson City, Connor Larkin (here) tackles Jake Roman… always good to see the kids that grew up in front of your eyes in Carson City playing at this level. 🙂
Jake Roman and Connor Larkin

2016 Carson High Football vs. Galena, September 30, 2016, Homecoming!

League play has started and Carson got off the a great start against Galena… with less than four minutes off the clock Carson was up 14-0 and never looked back… They certainly came to play in front of a Homecoming crowd! They won 40-13 which puts them 1-0 in league, the next two games are on the road at Manogue and at Damonte (likely to be their Sierra League toughest opponent this season…).

These “first league games”/homecoming nights always have me reflecting back on the years I’ve been covering sports in the local area… I always tell the kids, every year, they’re always Freshman, Sophomores… yet I am getting older, “Freshman” don’t get older… but it’s nights like tonight that I can think back to days and games and tournaments where I first met some of these young “kids”… on the little league, softball, soccer and football fields of Carson City… I’ve seen a lot of their “life” unfold… then when I see them walking across the field with Mom or Dad in the Homecoming Court… it’s really an amazing journey we’ve been on!  The transformation from “little kids” to young adults and then when they return from college, yea, it’s making me feel older, but it’s really great to see them “grow up” and get out and do their “thing” in the world!

I want to give a little shout out to a good friend of mine… Brent Reinke… he’s a perfect example of what I just mentioned… Brent was a freshman in the yearbook class when I met him… Joey Bowers who was the “senior photographer” at the time brought Brent out to show him how to shoot football for the yearbook… Fast forward a lot of years… Brent drove the first car tonight for Capital Ford (where he now works…) in the Homecoming Court parade lap! I just saw him a few days ago at the dealership to catch up a bit but it was great to see him last night and catch up again… we spent a lot of good times at Carson High, some good laughs and a lot of photos were clicked in the process.  It’s those experiences that bring me back to the field… so many stories… 🙂

Here are some images from the night!

Homecoming Queen Elise Brady and King Danny Dudley

Homecoming King and Queen, Elise Brady and Danny Dudley

Besides the wind, it was a BEAUTIFUL evening! The silhouette of the mountains in the evening is my favorite time of the night, so beautiful!

The National Anthem, Carson High School

No one has nicknamed Abel Carter… how about “The Steamroller”… we need something… the more I look at this photo it says so much about Abel’s accomplishments this year and we JUST started “League” tonight… Several opponents needed to bring him down, WELL past the 1st down marker… and he’s a Junior….

Abel Carter, Carson High
Call him The Steamroller!

Daniel Morrison got a lot of snaps tonight, things looking bright for Carson at Quarterback.

Daniel Morrison, Carson High

Chris Simon getting a run for Carson High tonight!Chris Simon, Carson High

Kyle Rudy gaining yards!Kyle Rudy, Carson High