For the week of December 3 - 9, 2003

Knights use press to rally past Wolverines

3-pointers a factor in Hillcrest victory

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Ball handling mistakes cost Wood River dearly last Tuesday in an exciting non-conference girls’ basketball game on the Hailey hardwoods.

Tiffany Wheeler shoots over Hillcrest’s 6-0 senior post Kellie Anderson during last Tuesday‘s game in Hailey. Express photo by David N. Seelig

Wood River High School’s varsity squandered a 13-point half-time lead and 11-point fourth-quarter advantage in a 61-57 loss to the 4A Hillcrest Knights from Idaho Falls.

Turnovers were Wood River’s nemesis on a night when the highly-regarded Hailey squad out-rebounded Hillcrest 29-16 and put up its best offensive numbers of 2003.

But Hillcrest (4-1) out-pointed Wood River 29-14 in the fourth and left Hailey with its fourth straight victory. Wood River fell to 3-2 on the season.

It was Wood River’s first loss on its new court. Top scorer Natalie Green scored 22 points, Emily Smith 17 and Jessica King 14—but the trio tallied all but four of Hailey’s points.

Hillcrest’s full-court pressure defense took its toll. So did some hot outside shooting by the Knights’ guards (five 3-pointers in the fourth, seven for the game). Junior guard Michelle Boyce pumped in 15 of her 20 points in the fourth.

Before the fourth, things were looking good for Hailey.

Wood River’s tough match-up zone gave Hillcrest plenty of problems in the first half. Patrolling the middle, King muscled the Knights’ inside game and did well shutting off passes from the high to the low post.

At half, Wood River led 30-17 and the Wolverines kept holding their own against the Hillcrest press in the third period.

Nikki Calzacorta of Wood River has the soft touch close to the basket, with Hillcrest’s Kellie Anderson defending last Tuesday. Hillcrest’s Knights rallied to win 61-57. Express photo by David N. Seelig

Playing only seven players, Wood River couldn’t afford to lose anyone—and things started changing dramatically when King sat down with her third personal late in the third.

Before she returned, Hillcrest sliced its 11-point deficit to three points and the game settled into a series of hard-fought lead changes until Boyce popped two straight 3-pointers turning a 50-49 Hillcrest deficit into a 55-50 lead.

Boyce was the difference. After she and Knights guard Cherie Fairbourn were shut out in the first half, Boyce (four 3-pointers) had 20 and Fairbourn 8 after half. Hillcrest’s 6-0 senior post Kellie Anderson (18 points, 7 boards, 3 steals) was a major factor as well.

Green had a great all-around game with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 4 assists and 2 blocked shots. Smith added a season-best 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 assists.

King’s boardwork yielded 9 rebounds and she also had 6 steals, 3 assists and 14 points.

Syringa Stark added 4 rebounds and 2 assists, Dawn Bird 2 points, Tiffany Wheeler 2 points, 3 boards and 3 assists.

The Wolverines had a difficult road assignment at Declo Tuesday night. It was the first Sawtooth Central Idaho Conference game of the season.

On Saturday, Dec. 6 Wood River tries to get home court revenge against the Vallivue Falcons. Vallivue defeated Wood River 62-46 in Caldwell Nov. 15 in the season opener.

 

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