Douglas High girls basketball
Douglas High's Addy Doerr (14) and Camden Miller (left), celebrate with Riley Mello after a basket during the girls Class 5A North regional final Saturday evening at Carson High.
Photo by Ron Harpin.
One quarter separated the Douglas High girls’ basketball team from a potential regional crown.
A 26-3 run by Bishop Manogue in the third was enough for the Miners to defeat the Tigers Saturday evening, 52-45, to win the girls Class 5A Northern Region title.
At the half, Douglas led 25-14, and had nearly silenced the Miners through 16 minutes.
However, Tiger head coach Jason Carter told the team at half he knew Bishop Manogue had a run coming.
It was just too big of a run to overcome as Bishop Manogue rallied off 21 straight points to turn a double-digit deficit into a double-digit lead.
“I think we got careless with the ball and that’s what hurt us,” said Carter. “It was too big of a spell there in the third quarter and that’s what hurt us.”
In the 26-3 run, Bishop Manogue’s Jaileen Yarrow deposited 20 of those points, going on a shooting display that willed the Miners back in front.
Yarrow finished with a game-high 29 points.
State tournament bracket set
Even with the loss, Douglas’ season isn’t over yet.
The Tigers will enter the Class 5A state tournament next weekend at Lawlor Events Center where they will open with the No. 1 team from the south – Centennial (15-3).
The Bulldogs have won the last six state titles in Class 4A before the creation of Class 5A this season.
Douglas and Centennial will square off Friday at 7 p.m. on the campus of University of Nevada, Reno.
Fighting back
Despite the Miners swinging the game back in their favor, Douglas didn’t let Bishop Manogue walk out of Carson High’s gym without a second push.
Spurred by senior Riley Mello, the Tigers were able to close the double-digit deficit to just three points in the fourth quarter, 45-42.
Mello got hot from beyond the arc and drained three triples to pull Douglas back within striking range.
A fourth triple nearly tied the contest, but caught both sides of the rim and bounced out.
“The way they battled back after that time means a lot,” said Carter. “That was outstanding. That was the Riley we needed.”
Mello ended the night with 17 points, nine of which came in the final quarter.
For Douglas, owning the inside was a big part of the Tigers’ game plan and it certainly caused some problems for Manogue.
“They are very tough. They are long, lengthy and they run the floor,” said Bishop Manogue head coach Sarah Schopper-Ramirez. “They are a very good team. … We’re going to see them next year for sure and it’s going to be the same kind of battle.”
To try and slow Yarrow, Douglas switched to a box-and-one on defense to try and take away Manogue’s biggest scoring threat.
The solo assignment went to Aleeah Weaver, who showed her defensive tenacity in the fourth quarter.
“She wanted it,” said Carter. “… I have confidence he can do that and she stepped up big time. I thought Aleeah really stepped up and had a really nice game for us.”
Weaver had four assists in the opening half and ended the regional final with 11 points.
Addy Doerr added 10 points for Douglas as well.
Douglas gets a week to finalize a game plan for the top team in Nevada, per MaxPreps, but Carter knows his bunch will quickly be able to move on to the task ahead.
“We have to get back to work. The beauty of basketball is we get another chance to do something special,” said Carter. “They’re just such a fun group. They are always so loose and relaxed. … They’re going to be remembered for a long time.
(Douglas High senior Riley Mello goes up for two of her 17 points Saturday evening in the girls Class 5A regional title game at Carson High. / Ron Harpin)
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