By Isaiah Burrows
While many celebrated Valentine’s Day, hundreds gathered to watch an intense playoff matchup Tuesday night as the No. 2 seed Reno Huskies faced the formidable No. 3 seed Carson Senators at Reno High School.
Both teams looked to give their maximum efforts, as the winner advanced to the next round of the playoffs while the losers headed home eliminated.
You could feel the tension between the two teams from the tipoff, as both teams soared for rebounds and played tough perimeter defense. The Senators soon found the hot hand in the first half, as Jayden DeJoseph provided an instant spark for the Carson offense with his sweet stroke from 3 point range and pulling down offensive rebounds for effortless layups.
Tez Allen was the primary playmaker as well, running the offense with great fluidity and using his size to his advantage, penetrating to the hoop and finding teammates with excellent court vision.
Reno also came to play, as the combination of guard Drew Rippingham and center Tommy Challis greatly helped space the floor for Reno with a one- two punch of outside shooting and points in the paint.
At the end of the first half, Carson held a slim lead 28-26. The third quarter resembled more of the same, competitive playoff basketball as forward Trent Robison pulled in a variety of rebounds on both ends of the floor.
DeJoseph and Allen controlled many aspects of the game, with an electric duo of unselfishness and scoring on one end and gritty defense on the other.
But the inside presence of forward Thomas Beach soon turned the game into a battle of free throws that the Huskies heavily won, leaving the back and forth matchup in the air, with Reno holding a 3 point lead heading into the 4th quarter 41-38.
The Senators gained some momentum, as they cut the Huskies’ lead to just 1 point with 1 minute and 33 seconds remaining. Soon after, a 3 point play by Rippingham pushed the lead back to 4.
Once again, Carson slashed the lead to just 2 points but the clutch freethrow shooting of guard Jonny Damon helped keep the lead in Reno’s favor.
A deep 3 pointer by DeJoseph wasn’t enough, as freethrows turned to the Huskie’s favor, eliminating Carson with a final score of 56-49.
Jayden DeJoseph exploded for 31 points, on 12-24 shooting (4-10 from 3 point range) Tez Allen had a great all-around game, finishing with 9 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 emphatic blocks.
Trent Robison finished 4 points and a team leading 12 rebounds. Brandon Gagnon ended the game with 3 points and 3 rebounds.
Postgame, Tez Allen simply spoke about his mindstate after the tragic loss, “I’m shocked.” The Senators have many positives to take away from the season, with a combination of injuries, transfers, and off the floor commitments several players were unable to play this season. This list includes: Greg Wallace (leg injury), Jon Crommer (moved to Salt Lake City), and Jace Keema (foot injury).
Despite missing these impactful players, Carson held strong together as a team thanks to the leadership of Tez Allen. Who lead by example all season long, constantly working on his game on and off the court.
Talent, leadership, and motivation helped jolt the Senators to an 11-5 regular season record, earning them the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. With many upcoming juniors ready to take the next step in their progression, look for the Senators to make another postseason run next year.
