The temperature on the court will rise in a hurry Friday, Dec. 18 when the Carey Panthers and Richfield Tigers battle for Northside Conference girls' and boys' basketball supremacy, on the Carey floor.
Carey's final games before Christmas break are early-season showdowns with the defending Northside boys' and girls' champs from Richfield. They will be the first of several meetings between the two 1A Division 2 programs prior to the state tournament in March.
Ranked third in the Idahosports.com poll of 1A Division 2 schools, the Carey girls (5-2, 2-0 league) will clash with top-ranked Richfield (6-0, 2-0), winner of 33 consecutive games. The Tigers have averaged 62.8 ppg including last Friday's 77-56 home win over Oakley, behind 41 points by Teenie Kent.
The top-ranked Carey boys (3-1, 2-0) face their first real league challenge against a #2-ranked Richfield squad (3-0, 2-0) that has already passed a major road test with a 44-40 overtime victory at Murtaugh Dec. 8.
Pirates slow down Carey 48-41
The 2A Butte County Pirates (2-2) snapped Carey's three-game win streak Thursday with a tightly contested 48-41 non-conference win at Arco. Zac Hansen (12 points) and Nathan Davies (11) led Butte.
Carey suffered through a poor shooting night, 6-for-26 (23%) from the 3-point circle and only 26% overall in field goal shooting. The Pirates (15-for-28, 54%) out-pointed Carey (5-for-14, 36%) at the free throw line by a 15-5 margin.
Trevor Peck (three 3-pointers) topped Carey with 11 points. Before fouling out, senior Dillon Simpson (8 points, 13 rebounds) was a board force.
Other contributors included Brett Adamson (6 points, 3 assists), Blair Peck (5 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals), Shane Bingham (4 points, 3 assists, 2 steals) and Wacey Barg (5 points, 8 rebounds).
Carey coach Dick Simpson said, "We'll try to regroup for the Richfield game."
Panther girls fall 35-32 to Butte
In a low scoring and sloppy game, the Butte County Pirates (6-0) stayed unbeaten 35-32 over the Carey Panthers Thursday in Arco. The Pirates made their 22-17 halftime lead stand up behind Chelsie Pope (13 points) and Carly Hansen (11).
Freshman Angela Ellsworth (two 3-pointers) scored 10 points for the second straight game to lead Carey (5-2, 2-0 league). Other scorers were Jessica Parke 7, Amy Ellsworth 6, Micaela Adamson 4 and Candace Hennefer 5.
Carey’s Micaela Adamson battles for position during Thursday’s game at Arco against the Butte County Pirates. Courtesy photo by John Peck
