Explosive first half leads Bulldogs past Lumberjacks

St. MARIES — The one-two punch of Grace Kirscher and Trinity Golder combined to pour in 34 points, and Katherine Kaul had her best game of the season, leading the Bulldogs to a 56-46 win over the Lumberjacks in nonleague girls basketball Tuesday night at St. Maries High School.

Golder finished with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists, Kirscher added 17 points and eight dimes, and Katherine Kaul nine points and five boards for the Bulldogs (3-5), who exploded for a season high 33 first half points.

“Defensively we really pressured them, and they had a hard time with it. The girls rewarded themselves with some points,” said Bulldog assistant Will Love, lauding his top scorers. “Trinity and Katherine both played great in the first half.”

The Bulldogs finished a tidy 13-17 from the foul line, and hit some big free throws down the stretch as the Lumberjacks made a late run.

The performance of Kaul was a positive, as the Bulldogs are looking for scoring help from more players.

“We kept stressing to everyone to keep shooting it; Kataherine has heeded that, and it paid off for her,” praised Love. “She was active on the boards and going after loose balls.”

Kelsey Rauer led the Lumberjacks (4-1) with 22 points in defeat.

“We came out a little rusty after not playing for two weeks, and it showed,” said St. Maries coach Jay Sines, whose team hadn’t played since a Nov. 29 win against Wallace. “They hit six 3-pointers in the first half and that was the difference. In the second half, we tightened up our defense and starting making our shots.”

Sandpoint is at Bonners Ferry on Friday at 5 p.m.

Clark Fork 17 16 13 10 — 56

St. Maries 8 8 19 11 — 46

CLARK FORK — Matilla 2, Tomazich 3, Darling 0, Kaul 9, Ward 2, Laybourne 0, Golder 17, Hicks 6, Kirscher 17.

St. MARIES — Sines 3, Peet 2, Borgman 4, Cordell 3, Wilson 4, Kelsey Rauer 22, Holder 8.