For the week of December 11 - 17, 2002

Cutthroat girls outscore Bliss 59-39

Pauli Ochi has hot hand

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Senior guard Pauli Ochi had the hot hand last week for The Community School girls’ varsity basketball team, leading the Cutthroats to their first Northside Conference victory.

Ochi (20.0 ppg) burned the net for 16 points including four 3-pointers as the Cutthroats (1-2, 1-0 league) rallied from a three-point half-time deficit and defeated host Bliss 59-39.

"We finally found our rhythm in the second half," said Cutthroat coach Ryan Waterfield, whose team out-pointed foul-troubled Bliss 41-18 after intermission.

Although the Cutthroats put four players in double figures, it was solid team defense that fueled the rally.

Ochi, Jenny Rutherford (10 points) and Erika Connelly (11) sparked the defense. Kristin Hickey (4 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals) did a fine job on the boards. Adding key rebounds to the Cutthroat success story were Gussi Ochi (2 points) and Caitlin Cairncross.

Waterfield said, "Jenny, Pauli and Erika really led the comeback with their steals on the full court press. They work well together. Kristin’s rebounding was stellar. She also made a great defensive play on charge."

So did 5-11 sophomore Jackie Goddard, who gained a ton of varsity confidence with 16 points. Waterfield said, "We’re asking quite a lot from Jackie as a sophomore, but she’s getting stronger down low."

It was a good week for the Cutthroats, who played Carey tough in a 52-47 home league loss Tuesday. Only a slow start—Carey led 11-5 after one—prevented the Cutthroats from going down to the wire.

Waterfield said, "We saw moments of the team we aim to be. Now we just need to maintain it for four quarters. Everyone scored, but we only had Erika and Pauli in double figures. We need to be more well-rounded than that."

Not only did Pauli Ochi score in double figures, she ended up with a career-high 27 points (2-8-9-8 by quarter) including six 3-pointers, five of them coming in the second half.

Waterfield said, "Wow! Pauli had a great passing game as well. And Erika had another solid game with 11 points, with good passing and good decisions for the most part.

"We played excellent defense. There were times on our full court press that I couldn’t believe my eyes—Erika, Jenny and Pauli just dominated. Our goal is to be a pressing team so we can dictate the pace of a game because of our defense."

The Cutthroat JV (1-1) dropped a 32-20 game to the Wood River freshman last Wednesday, but it was a good experience for the younger Sun Valley players, Waterfield said.

CUTTHROAT NOTES—The school’s single-game scoring record of 41 points was set by Lindsey Woodcock in a 48-33 home win over Richfield Dec. 10, 1999. She also had 19 rebounds and 16 blocked shots.

 

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