By ANNIE FOWLER | The CUJ
ATHENA — Facing a 32-29 deficit at the half, Weston-McEwen put together a 28-point second half to eke out a 57-53 Blue Maintain Conference win over Heppner on Saturday afternoon.
“I’m really proud of how hard the girls played,” Heppner coach Rob Wilson said. “Weston is a tough place to play and our girls played really well. It was a back-and-forth battle that could have gone either way.”
The second-ranked TigerScots improved to 17-1 overall and 5-0 in conference play with the win.
“Credit Heppner for coming out to play and being aggressive,” Weston-McEwen coach Jeremy Wolf said. “They certainly made us earn it. We played well to stay in it in the first half but their energy level was higher than ours.”
Maya Payne and Lily Nichols each had five points in the first quarter to help the No. 8 Mustangs (11-6, 3-2) to a 17-14 lead.
Charlotte Hansell scored 10 of her 17 points in the second quarter for Weston-McEwen as each team scored 15 points, giving Heppner a 32-29 lead at the half.
The TigerScots gave themselves a little breathing room with an 11-3 run in the third quarter for a 40-35 lead.
Avree Lathrop scored nine of her 11 points in the fourth quarter as the Mustangs went on an 18-17 run, but they would fall short in the end.
“We came out much better in the third, making a good run and playing the defense we know we’re capable of,” Wolf said. “We also appreciate our bench, who came up strong in a physical game.”
Addy Hall added 14 points for Weston-McEwen, while Reagan Pickard chipped in 11.
Nichols led the Mustangs with 16 points, while Payne added nine points and eight rebounds, and Healy Hisler added eight points.
Heppner will play Tuesday at Stanfield, while Weston-McEwen will play Friday at Enterprise.
