For the week of January 15 - 21, 2003

Wolverine girls make another run

Pound ‘Dogs, earn Valley revenge

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Basketball is a game of runs—and the Wood River High School girls’ varsity basketball team is turning the 2002-03 season into a successful run.

Wood River (11-4 overall, 6-1 home) has won eight of its last nine games including Friday’s 52-43 home non-conference victory over the Valley Vikings that avenged Hailey’s worst beating, by 16 points, Nov. 22.

Full-court defensive pressure by Wood River hurt the Vikings in the first quarter, when leading Hailey scorer Natalie Green (17.7 ppg) scored 7 of her game-high 16 points.

Coach Brent Carnduff’s Wolverines continued to frustrate the Vikings by shifting their defenses. After building a 12-point half-time lead, Wood River maintained it with senior guard Kelly Haisley (7.8 ppg) scoring all 10 of her points after intermission.

Emily Smith (9.7 ppg) added 7 points, Syringa Stark 6, Jessica King 4, Liz Rippon 4, Tiffany Wheeler 3 and Dawn Bird 2. Valley’s Jessica Ritchie had 12 points—four 3s.

It always helps to start well, and Wood River has outscored its last six opponents 95-45 in the first quarters. That’s what happened Wednesday night when Wood River built a 17-7 lead at the break and held on to beat the host Kimberly Bulldogs 65-51.

Haisley ended with a season-best 17 points and Stark (6.4 ppg) also posted a season-high with 14 including two 3-pointers. Green added 14 points and Smith 9 rebounds helping Wood River improve its Sawtooth Central Idaho Conference record to 4-2, with four games left.

Last Tuesday the Declo Hornets snapped Wood River’s six-game winning streak with a 78-71 overtime victory. The Wolverines led most of the game and seemed likely to win at the end of regulation, but Declo’s Megan Webb hit a shot with two seconds remaining for a 66-66 tie.

Green tallied 18 points including 8 in the fourth quarter. Smith added 16, Haisley 12 including two 3s and Stark 11. Wood River shot a season-best 21-of-29 at the free throw line. Declo’s Whitney Anderson (20) had 6 of Declo’s 12 points in the overtime.

Two telling stats at Declo: The Hornets out-rebounded Wood River 37-26, and Hailey had 24 turnovers.

Wood River hosted Gooding Tuesday and goes to Glenns Ferry Thursday. Key SCIC games at Filer and Buhl are set for next Tuesday and Thursday. Buhl has lost twice to Filer, but the Tribe beat Wood River.

After Buhl’s 57-49 SCIC win at Declo Saturday night, the SCIC standings through the weekend were: Filer 5-1, Wood River 4-2, Buhl 4-2, Declo 3-3, Gooding 2-4 and Kimberly 0-6. The SCIC tourney starts Monday, Feb. 3 in Filer.

Declo game: Points—Green 18, Smith 16, Haisley 12, Stark 11, King 6, Alexa Alberdi 2, Rippon 2, Wheeler 2, Bird 2. Rebounds—Smith 6, King 5. Steals—Green 6, Smith 4. Assists—Smith 3.

Kimberly game: Points—Haisley 17, Green 14, Stark 14, Smith 6, Bird 6, King 4, Wheeler 3. Rebounds—Smith 9, King 7, Green 6. Steals—Smith 3, Green 3. Assists—Wheeler 4, Haisley 4, Smith 4.

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WOLVERINE NOTES—His Wood River teams have been remarkably consistent for third-year coach Carnduff, the seventh coach in 28 years of Hailey girls hoops. In his first season Wood River started 2-5. Since the Wolverines are 36-18 for Carnduff and have lost two in a row only twice, both on the road. They are 16-3 in their last 19 home games….WR averages 59.3 ppg, better than Wood River’s all-time best offensive average of 47.9 set last year.

Natalie Green has 589 points in three varsity seasons and is on pace to break Laurel Williams’ school career record of 691 points set last year. Green (265 points this year) also has a chance to break Tara Pyle’s single-season mark of 347 points set in 1995.

 

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