The Mineral County boys basketball team lost to Smith Valley, 53-44 in the semifinals at regionals. The loss stopped a run of seven straight state appearances.
The score didn’t reflect the hard fought contest. With three minutes left in the game the score was tied at 44-44 and the Serpents had the ball, but three turnovers and two missed shots led to a 9-0 run by the Bulldogs who won the west regionals.
The Serpents led 42-39 at the end of the third quarter. The defense held solid but the offense disappeared as they scored only two points in the final quarter. The foul line was another factor in the Serpents loss, as they put the Bulldogs, 13 for 22 at the charity stripe while the Serpents were 6 for 9.
The Serpents lose five seniors to graduation this year. Devayne Isom, Tristen and Jaevaun Jones, Cade Torres and Josal Gordon.
