Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Nevada Junior Boys Come In Second At Blevins Tournament

Playing three nights in a row was too much for the junior Blue Jays of Nevada to overcome.

Still, they finished second in the annual Blevins Junior Tournament, losing to Hope 40- 36.

The Jays made it to the final round by whipping Nashville. This earned them a date with Prescott as the Cubs had done away with Emmet in the first round.

On the other side of the bracket, Spring Hill ousted Blevins and Hope sent Gurdon's junior Devils packing.

Nevada overcame a 10-point deficit to beat Prescott in the semifinal game, while Hope's Bobkittens were kind enough to let Spring Hill return home.

When the game began, it looked like the Jays were playing a senior high team, as the 'Kittens were huge.

Still, Nevada was able to take a 9-6 lead at the end of one, playing on heart and grit.

Carlos King, the shortest player on the court, standing maybe four-feet tall, crashed the boards against Hope's giants and drove the lanes, only to be punished by the larger players.

Quit, though, was not in his, or the team's, vocabulary as the Jays fought feather, beak and claw against their foes.

Hope took advantage of its size, dominating the paint and denying Nevada many easy shots.

Fatigue began showing on the Jays as the 'Kittens outscored them 12-3 in the second frame and went to the locker rooms with an 18-12 lead.

The Jays, though, reached deep, dragging the very depth of their being to stay in the game and have a shot at the title. When Hope would pull away, Nevada would fight to cut the gap.

Period three ended with the score 26-21 Hope.

An empty tank showed for Nevada in the fourth, as the Jays could only get close, but not get over the hump. With 4:05 left, they trailed 30-23.

The Jays cut the lead to five, at 32-27 with 1:47 left, but had to foul to try and stay in the contest. Unfortunately for them, the 'Kittens converted the majority of their free throws to keep Nevada at bay.

Free throws late in the game proved to be the difference in the game, as the Jays fought to the bitter end.