STANFIELD — In a game that had a playoff atmosphere, second-ranked Weston-McEwen used a big third quarter to eke out a 45-40 Blue Mountain Conference win Friday, Jan. 16, over rival Stanfield.
“I don’t remember too many girls’ basketball with that kind of atmosphere,” Stanfield coach Dan Sharp said. “You knew from the first 3-4 minutes, you were going to have to play all 32 minutes, both teams.”
The win was the seventh in a row for the TigerScots (15-1 overall, 3-0 BMC).
“Excellent battle between two great teams,” W-M coach Jeremy Wolf said. “The first half was a low-scoring affair, but we came out ready to play our game in the third. The fourth, we got caught on our heels trying to simply take care of the ball instead of staying aggressive.”
The TigerScots opened the game with a 9-6 lead, getting four points from Charlotte Hansell.
The seventh-ranked Tigers (8-4, 2-1) turned the tables in the second, going on a 13-6 run for a 19-15 lead at the half. Kayla Monkus scored 11 of her 24 points in the quarter for Stanfield.
Weston-McEwen came out of halftime on a mission, going on a 25-5 scoring spree — with Hansell scoring 13 points — to take a 40-24 lead.
“They had a huge third quarter, then we got it to within five,” Sharp said. “We just ran out of time and energy. I was pleased they didn’t quit. It would have been easy to do.”
The Tigers came out in the fourth quarter and poured in 16 points, while allowing the TigerScots five, but it wouldn’t be enough.
“Credit Stanfield for applying the intense pressure and getting back into the game,” Wolf said. “I appreciate our girls doing what they needed to secure the win, but we’re all looking forward to being better under pressure moving forward.”
Hansell finished with 21 points, while Lily Langford had 13 and Addy Hall had five.
Kahleigha Haney added 10 points, while Monkus had six rebounds and 10 steals, and Kenya Dovalina had seven steals.
“The girls have played each other so much over the years that there are no surprises,” Sharp said. “They are always within five points. We are just starting all over again.”
