"Senior Night" was a throwback for the Wood River High School girls' varsity basketball team Thursday in Hailey.
The Wolverines had fun wearing 14-year-old basketball uniforms. They also enjoyed everybody getting into the act during a 56-26 non-conference win over the Buhl Tribe (3-17).
Wood River got ready for this week's Great Basin Conference tournament with senior point guard Kaitana Martinez (18 points, 4 steals, 8 assists, 1 block) leading the attack. Martinez pulled within 29 points of the 1,000-point career mark and got lots of help.
Senior post Haylee Thompson (13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists) scored in each of the first three quarters when Wood River pulled ahead 41-24. Senior Cheyenne Swanson (9 points, 6 rebounds) chipped in.
It was also lots of fun for bench players like senior Lucy Paisley (5 points, 3-pointer, 3 steals, 2 assists), Lily Richards (4 points, 2 boards), senior Cookie Benson (4 points, 2 steals) and senior Emmalie Dion (3 points, 3 rebounds). Senior Haillie Taylor added 6 rebounds and a blocked shot.
The appreciative crowd also enjoyed a 33-19 junior varsity win over Buhl. The young Wolverines committed only 11 turnovers and got points from Sam Sutton 12, Haylee Pettit 11, Kennedie Howard 6, Kenya Schott 2 and Justis Jones 2.
Fourth-seeded Wood River (9-9, 5-4 home, 5-5 league), having won four of its last five games, hosted No. 5 Burley (10-10, 4-6) in the opening round of the six-team GBC tourney. The Wolverines won the tourney in unbeaten fashion in 2011. The winner of Tuesday's game travels to top-seeded Twin Falls (13-7, 8-2) on Thursday, Feb. 2 for a 7 p.m. contest. The winner of Tuesday's first-round game between Jerome (14-5, 6-4) and Canyon Ridge (4-16, 0-10) goes to No. 2-seeded Minico (13-6, 7-3) Thursday.
The semi-final is Friday, and a loser-out game is set for Saturday. Championship game is Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m., with an if-necessary game of the double elimination meet set for Thursday, Feb. 11.
At stake is one automatic ticket for the tournament champion to the State 4A tournament Feb. 16 in Boise. The second-place GBC team needs to win a Feb. 11 play-in game in order to make it to state.
<
Carey squads on a roll
Carey School boys' and girls' basketball teams stayed hot in games played last week.
The Panther boys (10-6, 5-0 league) posted their eighth straight victory and stayed unbeaten in Northside Conference play. The girls (9-5, 6-2) won their third consecutive game, and fifth in six engagements as they got ready for the upcoming Northside tournament.
Spreading the points around, coach Dick Simpson's Panther boys won 58-18 at Bliss Thursday and swept the season series with Oakley with a 64-52 road triumph on Friday night.
Ten Panthers scored at Bliss led by Patrick Baird (12 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists), Sheldon Hansen (9 points, 7 boards), Jack Cenarrusa (8 points), Gunner Thompson (5 steals) and Jordan Dilworth (8 points, 4 assists, 2 steals).
Carey's 20-12 second-quarter advantage and a 12-7 edge in steals were the main differences in a closely played game at Oakley Friday. Senior Baley Barg made a big impact with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 2 steals. Dillon Cenarrusa added 14 boards and 2 assists.
Other top scorers were Charlie Rivera with a season-best 11 points and 2 steals, and Chance Chavez (11 points).
Jaide Parke (14 points), Morgan Parke (10) and Nicole Gomez (8) paced the Panthers to their 44-21 league victory at Bliss Thursday.
The Carey teams entertain Lighthouse Christian Thursday, Feb. 2, then the Panther girls open the Northside tournament Saturday, Feb. 4 at Murtaugh High School. The Carey boys visit Hagerman Saturday for a 2:30 p.m. game.
WRHS boys host Riverhawks
The Wood River boys (2-13, 0-7 league) hope to reprise one of their most competitive games of the season when the Canyon Ridge Riverhawks (4-13, 2-5) visit the Hailey gym today, Wednesday for a GBC battle.
Wood River fell 43-37 at Canyon Ridge Jan. 10. Last Friday, league-leading Twin Falls (15-1, 7-0) swamped the visiting Wolverines 70-30. Austin Hafer scored 9 points, Ben Williams 7, Jake Vegwert 6 and Braxton Parish 5 for Hailey.
Tonight's league game in Hailey features a drawing for the Idaho Steelheads raffle prize. Tickets at $5 are available for the prize of four admission tickets plus hotel and parking to the Feb. 25 Steelheads hockey game in Boise.
Update on Cutthroat teams
Community School basketball teams made the long trip to Castleford on Monday night, where the Cutthroat boys fell to the Wolves 45-27 and the Sun Valley girls lost 65-27 in Northside Conference games.
Will Brokaw (11 points, two 3-pointers) and Henry Rickbeil (8 points) led the Cutthroat boys (6-9, 2-4 league). Hannah Dies scored a season-best 10 points and Ella Marks added 7 for the girls (0-13, 0-8 league).
Last Thursday at The Fish Tank in Sun Valley, Taylor Figge led the way with 10 points and Dies added 6 in a 43-24 Cutthroat home loss to the Murtaugh Red Devils. The Sun Valley boys couldn't keep up with the Devils, falling 76-44 despite 17 points by Brokaw and 15 more by Taylor Adler.