Kirscher carries Sandpoint past Burley in 4A state opener
BOISE — With their offense stuck in mud for a half, the Bulldogs turned to sophomore Grace Kirscher in the second half, and she delivered with the biggest game of her career so far to lead Sandpoint to a grinding 47-30 win over Burley in the 4A state girls basketball tournament opener Thursday at Timberline High School in Boise.
Kirscher, who had just three points in a slogging first half that saw the Bulldogs lead by an almost unheard of score of 11-6, exploded for 15 third quarter points en route to a career-high 27, helping her team advance in a game that featured plenty of state-induced nerves.
Kirscher finished 7 of 12 from the field and 11 of 15 from the free throw line, to go with five rebounds and two steals. After scoring just three points in the second quarter, the Bulldogs (14-9) needed a spark offensively and the 6-foot-1 wing provided it with 24 second half points.
“Grace showed a lot of take charge, courage, she really attacked hard and took a lot of physical hits,” said head coach Duane Ward. “She really took over that third quarter.”
To nobody’s surprise, Burley (15-11) paid ample attention to Madi Schoening, who still finished with 11 points, four rebounds and four steals despite shooting just 2 of 10 from the field.
“They were paying so much attention to Madi, that Grace went to work, just kind of took over,” described Ward. “Madi was patient getting Grace the ball.”
As they have all season, the Bulldogs hung their hat on defense, employing a 2-3 zone and absolutely shutting down Burley in the first half. Despite generating some decent looks, the Bulldogs were ice cold and could only score two points in the second quarter. Luckily, they allowed just two, and the six points allowed in the first half has to be close if not an outright state record.
“We’ve always told the kids that defense is there for you every night if you want it to be. Our defense kept us in the game until our offense got going,” praised Ward. “Our defense always fuels our offense. To hold a team to six points in one half is almost unheard of. Once we started running and attacking in the open court, that’s when we got them.”
Spearheading the defense was Riley Couch, who finished with five points, five steals and three rebounds, while BreLynn Converse, Grace Hicks and Taylor Ward teamed up to lock down Burley. Ward added five rebounds and two steals.
Next up is Century (19-4), which beat Kuna 55-41 in the other opener. Ward had a chance to scout the team on Thursday, and believes it’s going to be a battle.
“We got a pretty good look at Century, they’re one of the stronger teams down here. Excellent point guard, really good size, and very physical,” described Ward. “They’re a good half court team. We’ll need to run, run, run.”
The Bulldogs tip off the semi-final matchup today at 5:15 p.m. (PST). Bob Witte will call the game live on AM1400, and www.Idahosports.com will webcast the game live.
Sandpoint 9 4 18 18 — 47
Burley 4 2 12 12 — 30
BURLEY — Pilling 13, Pope 3, Hutchinson 7, Shirley 2, Rice 3, Landrum 2.
SANDPOINT — Schoening 11, Converse 0, Darrah 0, Ward 2, Couch 5, Hicks 2, Kaul 0, Kirscher 27.