Friday, September 18, 2009

Bruins bring the hammer to Hailey hardwoods

Twin Falls spikers polish off WRHS, Gooding


Bellevue’s B.J. Price has the Twin Falls Bruins on a roll leading their new 4A Great Basin Conference. On Tuesday night, the third-year Twin Falls volleyball coach returned to Wood River for the first time since his basketball-playing days in Hailey from 1993-97. With his parents Bruce and Sherri Price proudly watching, he guided the Bruins to wins over Wood River and Gooding. Photo by David N. Seelig

B.J. Price and his Twin Falls Bruins were in the house in Hailey Tuesday night, and it wasn't a pretty sight for their high school volleyball opponents, Wood River and Gooding.

Twin Falls, on a collision course with the Minico Spartans for 4A Great Basin Conference supremacy, dismantled Wood River 25-20, 22-25, 25-9, 25-18 and also breezed past 3A Gooding by 25-9, 25-18 scores.

Bruins junior middle Cheltzie Williams (17 kills, 8 blocks) was too athletic at the net for Wood River and Gooding. Twin Falls sophomore setter Allie Johnson (29 assists) set the attack in motion, and junior Mallory Jund (23 digs) initiated the Bruins' passing.

Wood River (6-8, 0-3 home, 0-2 league) couldn't keep pace on the Hailey hardwoods. Later Tuesday, Gooding added insult to injury with a 25-18, 25-13 win that sent Wood River to its fifth loss in the last six matches.

Former Wood River High School basketball star Price is the third-year coach of Twin Falls. He has the Bruins marching to their first state volleyball tournament berth under his reign. This was his first visit back to Wood River since playing four years of prep basketball here from 1993-97.

Pacing the sidelines and encouraging his team, Price was determined to make his return a winning one. The Bruins girls (3-0 league) didn't let him down.

Wood River's only positive moment Tuesday night came in its 25-22 second game victory against Twin Falls, led by junior setter/hitter Jessica Hamilton. But the Wolverines couldn't sustain that energy against the intimidating Twin Falls block (17 blocks), and they had no match for 5-10 Williams.

Leading Wood River were Grace Lagodich (11 kills), Ellen Johnson (10 kills, 13 winning serves with 4 aces), Hamilton (4 kills, 4 serves) and Allyson Hesteness (2 kills, 6 serves).

Wood River tried for its first Great Basin victory Thursday night at Burley. The 29th annual Wood River Invitational varsity tournament for 13 teams comes to the Hailey gym today and Saturday, Sept. 18. Next week, Wood River invades Minico in Rupert Tuesday, Sept. 22 and Jerome on Sept. 24.




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