Bruins race past WRHS boys 62-20
The Twin Falls Bruins, ranked second in the Idahosports.com 4A boys' basketball poll behind Skyview of Nampa, came to Hailey last Friday and raced past the Wood River Wolverines 62-20 in a league mismatch.
Coach Matt Harr's Bruins jumped to a 45-11 halftime lead and breezed the rest of the way in their first Great Basin Conference game of the 2009-10 campaign. Senior star Jon Pulsifer (17 points, 9 rebounds) excelled for the Bruins (66.7 ppg).
Seniors Keven Abbott (7 points) and Jordan Doan (5 points) got on the board for coach John Radford's Wolverines (2-4, 1-2 league), still seeking their first home win. Others were Stone Sutton (5 points), Quentin Dowdle (2) and Isaiah Garza (1).
Wood River resumes action Wednesday, Jan. 6 at home against the Minico Spartans (4-2, 0-0). Minico lost by 15 points to top-ranked Skyview, and Twin Falls fell by five points to Skyview at Nampa.
Three in doubles as Cutthroats whip Bliss 45-30
Community School junior star Daniel Gomis wasn't feeling so great. The Bliss Bears must be wondering what Gomis might have done if he had been feeling a little better.
Gomis (18 points, 16 rebounds, 4 steals, 4 assists, 3 blocked shots) led the Cutthroats to a 45-30 Northside Conference win over the undersized Bears at The Fish Tank in the Christmas getaway game Thursday.
It was the second Northside league win for coach Ed Flory's Cutthroats (3-2, 2-0 league), who resume Tuesday, Jan. 5 at home against the Camas County Mushers (2-3, 0-2).
Against Bliss, the 6-9 jumper from Senegal entertained the large home crowd with three huge dunks that were above-the-rim offensive rebounds of missed shots. The taller Fish had seven blocked shots. Bliss fought hard, but its tallest player was 6-2, most ranging from 5-6 to 5-8.
With Gomis suffering through a ragged first half, and senior Paul Davis filling in ably with 9 of his 11 points, the Cutthroats led 20-14 at intermission. But the Fish offense started hitting its rhythm after the half, the home team stretching its lead from six points to the final 15.
Gomis scored 11 of his 18 points after halftime, and added 9 of his 16 rebounds plus two of the three monster dunks after the half. Davis (11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists) and fellow senior Tanner Flanigan (10 points, 4 boards, 2 assists, 2 blocked shots) had good efforts, too.
Flory said, "I felt better about the second half. We started to work our offense. Daniel wants his teammates to keep moving through our offense, but they get caught up watching him. We did improve as the game went on. A few things started to click in.
"It's a work in progress for our boys learning to play with a player of his ability. Still having fun though!"
Other Cutthroat contributors: Henry Rickbeil (4 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks); Will Brokaw (4 boards, 2 steals); Dane Inman (2 steals); and Hunter Weaver (2 points, 3 rebounds).
The Cutthroats, out-rebounding Bliss 43-32, won despite being outscored 12-4 at the free throw line.
Bliss senior Alex Cortez (14 points, 5 rebounds) drilled four 3-pointers, one in each quarter, while senior Thomas Palmer (4 points, 10 rebounds) and Cameron Schoessler (4 points, 5 boards, 3 steals) were also big factors. So was Cole Erkins (2 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals).
Bliss girls hustle past TCS 26-19
The Community School girls had a case of slippery fingers Thursday during their 26-19 Northside Conference loss to the Bliss Bears at the Fish Tank. A total 25 Fish turnovers nearly equaled Bliss' total points.
Still, coach Willy Felton's Cutthroats (2-3, 0-2 league) kept their hopes alive because of the scoring of 5-7 senior guard Maggie Flood (16.7 ppg). Flood (6 rebounds, 2 steals) scored 17 of the 19 points, five coming in the final quarter to erase a 12-point deficit and make it closer.
Putting a crimp in the Cutthroat hopes for their first league victory was an ankle injury suffered by 5-10 senior forward Kayla Cloud at the very end of the first quarter. Cloud (2 assists, 2 blocked shots) didn't return, but the Sun Valley girls did well on the boards even without her.
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Kayla's younger sister, 5-7 junior guard Chelsea Cloud, didn't score but pulled down 17 of the 37 Cutthroat rebounds. She added two assists. Others included Natalie Goddard (2 points, 6 boards), Julie Doan (3 rebounds), Ella Marks (3 rebounds).
Leading Bliss were junior wing Abby Burk (10 points, 3 steals, 3 assists), senior post Savannah Kehrer (3 points, 6 boards, 3 steals) and sophomore Demsie Butler (9 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists).
Panthers lead wire-to-wire in 56-49 win over Tigers
Carey School's boys got the jump on the Richfield Tigers with a wire-to-wire 56-49 Northside Conference basketball victory Friday night in the first meeting of rival schools separated by one highway and 23 miles.
Senior Brett Adamson (21 points, 3 rebounds, 5 steals, 5 assists) drilled three 3-pointers for Carey and neutralized Richfield's big senior gun Michael Lezamiz (24 points, 9 boards, 3 steals, 3 assists), who was responsible for four Tiger 3-pointers.
There were 13 3-pointers made, seven by Richfield, but Carey's 7-for-10 free throw shooting in the fourth held the Tigers at arm's length. Adamson made four of those charities and junior Blair Peck (9 points, 2 boards, 3 steals, 2 assists) sank two big free throws with a minute left.
Richfield, the defending Northside Conference tournament champion, had beaten Carey twice last winter en route to a 20-5 record. So Friday's seven-point verdict was Carey's first win over Richfield in a couple of seasons, and a welcome one.
Carey (4-1, 3-0 league) won its third home game in three tries while Richfield (3-1, 2-1) has to wait until a rematch Friday, Jan. 29 in Richfield.
Friday night, the Panthers beat down the Richfield full-court defensive pressure in the early going and withstood it late in the fourth quarter, after they stretched their game-long lead to 11 points. But the Tigers never went away, shaving their deficits to three points in the second and third periods, and five in the fourth.
With Lezamiz on the floor, the Tigers were always a threat. Plus, senior Tucker Smith of Richfield (12 points, 4 rebounds) drilled a 3-pointer with 1:58 cutting the Carey lead to 49-44. Then Adamson made a huge steal after a Panther turnover with a minute left to ice the win.
The Panther depth, seven players shuttled in and out by coach Dick Simpson, was one major factor—and that was without Carey's top rebounder Wacey Barg, a senior who had a sprained ankle. Richfield coach Garr Ward used mainly six players.
In the third, Carey extended its six-point halftime lead to nine despite four 3-pointers in that period by Richfield. It was because of three clutch buckets by senior Trevor Peck (14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists) and a nice job off the bench by junior Jacy Baird (8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals).
The wild card and last line of defense for Carey was senior Dillon Simpson. He only scored one basket, a pull-up jumper in the first, but Simpson starred in every other facet with 7 blocked shots, a game-high 12 rebounds and game-best 5 assists.
Senior Tyler Chavez (2 points, 3 rebounds) also played well in limited minutes for Carey. Others for Richfield were Jose Rivas (11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists), Tyler Cenarrusa (2 points, 4 boards, 2 steals) and Ben Robles (4 boards, 2 steals, 3 assists).
Carey resumes action Tuesday, Jan. 5 with a major Northside road test at Dietrich (3-1, 2-0 league). Then 6-9 dunker Daniel Gomis and The Community School Cutthroats invade Carey Friday, Jan. 8.
Wrestlers have tough matches before XMas
Wood River High School wrestlers plunged headlong into the 2009-10 prep season last week with tough challenges at Jerome and at the Bear Cat Invitational at Twin Falls High.
Great Basin Conference power Jerome captured a 51-27 dual meet victory over Wood River last Wednesday. Coach Shawn Huntington's Wolverines gave up eight pins, but boasted four pins of their own.
Sophomore Tyler Bartlett had a second-round pin at 112 pounds, sophomore Andrew Beck was a first-round winner at 125, senior Tanner Orchard pinned just before the final buzzer at 152, and sophomore Auden Ruhter pinned 2:52 at 215. Junior Alex Thomas won a hard-fought 7-4 decision at 285.
Highland of Pocatello (226.5 points) ended up winning the season's first big tournament, the 18-school Bear Cat Invitational in Twin Falls. Jerome (124), Twin Falls (110) and Minico of Rupert (109) placed 2-3-4, with Wood River (36) 13th.
Placing in the top six for Wood River were freshman Jared Anderson (1-2) at 103, Bartlett (2-2) at 112, Orchard (3-2) at 152 and junior Kasey Barker (2-2) at 189.
Others with their tourney records were Tim Boyle (1-2, 119), Andrew Beck (0-2, 125), Zach Brown (1-2, 130), Tommy Bailey (0-2, 135), Nick Chase (2-2, 145), Storm Anderson (1-2, 160), Tyler Jaramillo (1-2, 171) and Thomas (0-2, 285).
Top Bear Cat junior varsity finishers for Hailey were Teague Ruhter in fourth place at 160 pounds and Auden Ruhter in third place at 215.
Wood River resumes Tuesday, Jan. 5 against Kimberly and Century in Pocatello.
