Wallace Miners withstand Priest River's late push
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this recap ran in the Sunday editions of the Daily Bee and the Coeur d’Alene Press. It has been reprinted for Priest River residents whom only receive the Daily Bee on Wednesdays.
PRIEST RIVER — Wallace held off Priest River’s 16-point fourth quarter for a nonconference road win. The Miners led by as many as 15 points, but the Spartans used a buzzer-beating, four-point play from Jasmine Martin to kickstart their rally.
“It’s funny because [Martin] and Karah Fink always take half-court shots in practice, so I told them, ‘Look what happens when you practice those shots,’” Priest River head coach Morgan Douglas said. “And that was just what we needed to get out of our rut.”
Sparked by Martin’s four-point play, Priest River went on a fourth-quarter run that cut Wallace’s lead to as few as six points. Playing extended minutes with Makia Fitzmorris out of town, junior Madelynn Rusho scored a season-high 10 points, eight of which came in the fourth quarter.
“[The Wallace game] gave [Rusho] a push of confidence that she needed,” Douglas said. “She can be a contributor to the team and I think it helped her step out of her box and say to herself, ‘Hey, I can shoot the ball when I’m open.’ I’m just so happy for her.”
Although the Miners had to hang on without leading scorer Jaden House, who fouled out early in the fourth quarter, Wallace was able to close out the game by going 6-for-13 from the charity stripe.
House’s 16 points led all scorers while Priest River’s Martin scored 15. Fink was close behind with 14 points and led all players with 15 rebounds — her second-straight 15 rebound effort and fifth double-digit rebounding game of the season.
Priest River’s next game is at Bonners Ferry on Jan. 3
Wallace 16 12 15 10 — 53
Priest River 8 7 8 16 — 47
WALLACE — House 16, Sheppard 3, Morin 8, Hill 13, Howard 7, Johnson 6, Welch 0, Frey 0.
PRIEST RIVER — Martin 15, Barnes 2, Kren 0, Minish 6, Fink 14, Rusho 10, Pound 0, Palfrey 0.