PREP BASKETBALL: Sandpoint, down four players, slips past Kellogg in thriller

Sandpoint 64, Kellogg 60

SANDPOINT – Sandpoint, missing four players (three starters) Tuesday night, needed a handful of players to step up in order to defeat a strong Kellogg squad. A freshman trio consisting of Brecken Mire, Jordyn Tomco, and Livia Driggs did exactly that, combining for 50 in the Bulldogs' 4-point thrilling victory over the Wildcats.

It was a game of runs. Kellogg started out the second quarter down eight points, but tied things up within the first two minutes of the quarter. Sandpoint, however, would head into halftime on an 11-1 run which was capped off by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from junior Aubrey Knowles. Sandpoint led by 12 points, 32-20, heading into halftime; it was the Bulldogs largest lead of the contest.

In the second half, Kellogg fought their way back into the game. The Wildcats, led by a couple of three-pointers from freshman Jordyn Stutzke, outscored the Bulldogs 21-12 in the third quarter. Sandpoint would have to play some of their best basketball of the game in the fourth… they did.

For a brief moment, Kellogg took a 47-46 lead, but the Bulldogs shook it off and got to work. Tomco, who had a game-high 24 points, nailed two three-pointers on back-to-back possessions late in the contest to get Sandpoint back on top. During the last minute of play, Sandpoint made two crucial stops and Mire made both of her free throws down the stretch to propel Sandpoint to a 64-60 victory.

Mire contributed 18 points and a team-high four assists. Driggs, in her first varsity match, added 8 points, which included two three-pointers, and also had five rebounds, and two steals.

The Bulldogs were missing Karlie Banks, Aliya Strock, Chloe Laybourne, and Demi Driggs on the night.

“We obviously had some kids step up,” head coach Will Love said. “We had to dip down into our junior varsity team and had some athletes score some of their first varsity points tonight. One of the things we want to do is – we want to make a program. So, in cases like this we are able to step up and compete. Missing those four girls changed a lot of things, but when we were game-planning we felt really confident with the girls we put out there tonight.”

Sandpoint (8-1, 3-0) will play Grangeville at ICCU Arena in Moscow on Thursday.

Kellogg 9 11 21 19 – 60

Sandpoint 17 15 12 20 – 64

PTS: SPT – Tomco 24, B. Mire 18, L. Driggs 8, Thaete 5, Knowles 4, Richardson 3, David 2. KLG – Jerome 16, Schillereff 14, Stutzke 8, Coe 8, Henrikson 7, Karst 6.

REB: SPT – L. Driggs 5, Tomco 5, B. Mire 4, Richardson 3, Thaete 2, Knowles 2, T. Mire 1. KLG – Jerome 8, Schillereff 8, Coe 7, Henrikson 6, Karst 6, Stutzke 2, A. Groth 1.

AST: SPT – B. Mire 4, L. Driggs 2, Knowles 2, Richardson 1, T. Mire 1. KLG – Henrikson 3, Schillereff 3, Coe 2, Jerome 2, Stutzke 1.

STL: SPT – L. Driggs 2, B. Mire 2, Knowles 2, Richardson 1, Tomco 1. KLG – Schillereff 1, Coe 1, Stutzke 1.

BLK: SPT – None. KLG – Coe 2.

- Monday, Dec. 18

Wallace 47, Clark Fork 29

CLARK FORK – Lilly Reuter scored a game-high 20 points for Clark Fork as the Wampus Cats fell to Wallace in a non-league matchup Monday night.

Clark Fork trailed by just one point at halftime against the Miners, but ran out of gas in the second half – especially when two key players, Hannah Thompson and Eloise Shelton, fouled out of the game.

“We held in there pretty strong for a long time,” head coach Jordan Adams said. “We just died out at the end. We had a couple of dumb fouls that took some of our key players out, but it's by far the most hustle our team has had this year.”

Despite the loss, Adams mentioned several guards who she thought did an excellent job Monday.

“Lilly had an amazing time on offense. Piper Scarlett, a sophomore, played the whole game bringing the ball down the floor and taking care of business. Eloise Shelton was the one in our box and one [defense] and did a great job keeping Wallace's best shooter under wraps. We brought Hannah Thompson in for her speed and it helped to keep Wallace from getting runs on us.”

Forward/Center Amari-Printz Hay was also praised for her efforts Monday.

“Amari played the best defense I've seen her play ever and was all over the floor for rebounds,” Adams said.

Adams said that there were a ton of good individual efforts that led to a great team effort, and that she was proud of the way the team played.

Clark Fork (2-6, 1-0) will hit the road on Thursday to take on Priest River.

Wallace 5 12 14 16 – 47

Clark Fork 13 3 4 9 – 29

PTS: CF – Reuter 20, Shelton 4, Scarlett 3, Thompson 2. W – Br. Phillips 17, Hasz 10, Wood 9, Be. Phillips 8, Lewis 5.