Two teams that played until the final day of the 2007 eight-man prep football season clashed Friday when the Carey School Panthers and Oakley Hornets met in a Northside-Southside boys' basketball match-up on the Oakley court.
Coach Dick Simpson's visiting Panthers (2-0) had the best of the early-season battle 56-43 based on 16-9 and 18-12 advantages in the first and third periods. The teams played evenly in the second and fourth periods and didn't shoot particularly well, 25% from the field for Oakley and 31% for Carey.
Sophomore guard Trevor Peck (three 3-pointers, 4 steals) led seven Panthers in the scoring column with 15 points. Senior D.J. Simpson (20.0 ppg) had 11 points plus 6 rebounds.
Other Carey factors were Tyler Parke (9 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals), Blake Whitby (5 points), Dillon Simpson (7 points, 5 boards, 3 steals, 2 assists), Kade Peterson (5 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals) and Heith Adamson (4 points).
Carey shot 5-for-22 behind the arc (23%) but fared better at the charity line (11-for-19, 58%). The Panthers did well on the offensive glass with 19 boards compared to 21 on defense.
Josh Greenwell topped Oakley (0-1) with 10 points.
Holiday Tournament Friday
Carey is hoping for another match-up with the 2A Challis Vikings when the four-school Carey Holiday Tournament begins Friday, Dec. 7 on the Panther hardwoods.
The Panthers open Friday with an 8 p.m. game against Mackay while Challis (1-1) tries to advance against Hagerman. The Vikings beat Leadore 65-48 and lost at Salmon 78-46 in their first two games. Hagerman (0-2) has fallen 52-33 to Wendell and 35-34 at Murtaugh.
Carey beat Mackay 47-26 in last year's opening round of the Holiday Tournament, but Challis nipped host Carey 66-59 in the tourney finale. It was Challis' first-ever Carey Holiday Tournament boys' title.
Championship game is Saturday at 8 p.m. in Carey's new gym while the consolation championship is played at the same time in the old time Then the Panthers have a few days off before starting a pre-Christmas stretch of five games in six days from Dec.13-19.
Meanwhile, the Carey JV opens against Mackay at 5 p.m. Friday in the new gym. The Challis JV edged Carey 34-27 in last year's holiday title game.
Tough girls field at Holiday meet
After losing two games to a pair of tough Gem State customers, Richfield and Valley, the Carey School girls' varsity basketball team doesn't have much of a breather this week.
Coach Lane Durtschi's Panthers (1-2, 0-1 league) traveled to Shoshone Tuesday night and then get ready for the Carey Holiday Tournament Friday, Dec. 7 on the Panther court.
It will be a very tough field in the four-team girls' varsity meet won by Mackay last December in a close 53-48 final over the Challis Vikings.
Carey's first opponent in the Holiday Tournament opener Friday is Mackay (2-2). Carey plays defending Holiday champ Mackay at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the new gym, while 2A Challis clashes with 1A #2-ranked Hagerman (4-0) in the old gym.
Mackay used a tough match-up zone to throttle defending State 1A champ Richfield (4-2) by a 39-31 score in Mackay Saturday. Richfield was averaging 53.4 ppg entering the Mackay game including a 36-point home win over Carey Nov. 29.
One night before, Friday, Challis put four players in double figures led by Jenna Hamilton (14) in beating Mackay 55-26. So it seems likely that Friday's Challis-Hagerman match-up could decide this year's Holiday Tournament winner.
In girls' junior varsity action Friday, defending champion Carey will meet its opponent in last year's JV title game, Mackay, on Friday at 3:30 p.m. in the new gym. Challis and Richfield's JV will square off in the other game.
Carey coach Durtschi knew his team had a tough assignment last Saturday playing top-ranked 2A school Valley, which has gone to seven of the last eight State 2A tournaments.
Valley (4-1) had whipped three 3A teams by hefty margins, by 31 points over Buhl, 16 over Gooding and 10 over Filer. The Vikings had beaten Dietrich by 30 and lost only to Kimberly. Taller than Carey, Valley has been led all season by 5-11 junior post Katie Hall.
That was certainly the case Saturday. Hall had 20 points and 11 rebounds plus 4 steals in just 16 minutes of action as Valley spanked Carey 52-30. The Vikings shot 40% from the field compared to Carey's 20%. Valley had 18 points in the paint, 19 off the bench and also out-rebounded Carey 38-24.
Durtschi said, "It was a tough game with Valley using its height and inside game to beat us. I was proud of how the girls stayed within our team system and showed more composure than our previous game. Our shots weren't falling but the girls hustled and did a lot of good things. We will be good."
Among the Carey contributors were Jenny Cenarrusa (9 points, 3 steals), Shelby Hansen (6 points, 6 boards), Kelsey Green (6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals), Amy Ellsworth (4 points, 6 boards, 2 steals), Jessica Parke (4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals) and Kayla Bailey (1 point, 4 boards).
Durtschi said, "Shelby Hansen has really been improving and Jenn Cenarrusa had a good game with 9 points."
