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Bella Jones prepares to shoot a free throw in action last week against Townsend. Voice photos by Melissa Jenkins
Devynn Judd had two key baskets in the win over Townsend.
One night after a tough 40-34 rivalry loss at Manhattan, the Three Forks High School Girls' Basketball team bounced back impressively with a 54-49 home win on January 7 over Townsend.
The Wolves (3-5, 2-3 5B) opened strong taking a 24-19 lead into halftime, and outscored the visiting Bulldogs by one in the third to take a 39-33 lead into the final quarter.
Head Coach Lacy Noble said they were able to get a nice lead at the start but let Townsend back into the game.
The Bulldogs battled back in the fourth, taking a 48-47 lead with just under two minutes left. Sophomore standout Tanaya Hauser put Three Forks right back in the lead at 50-48 with a critical three-pointer with 1:30 remaining, her fourth of the second half.
Noble said her team has the green light to shoot threes as long as they show a little patience at the start of the shot clock and rebounders are under the basket, which happened late in the game.
Noble also praised the play of sophomore Devynn Judd who had four key points in the second half.
"I was so happy for her to play with confidence and knock down those shots. I keep talking to the girls about finding the bottom of the net. She was textbook. She turned around, squared up, and shot. I was so happy for her. Those were key points for us, and that was a turning point," Noble said.
The first-year Head Coach was also pleased the team made 23 free throws during the game, including several key ones down the stretch from freshman Maddie Tesoro.
"We have been struggling with free throws, so that's a step in the right direction," Noble said.
Hauser led the way for Three Forks with 16 points. Tesoro finished with nine, Bella Jones had eight, and Brielle Davis finished with six points. Eva Parker, Bri Warren, and Judd each finished with four. Fallon Page added three points.
Tesoro led the team in scoring against Manhattan with 11. Hauser added eight, Davis finished with five, and Parker had four. Jones, Warren, and Page each finished with two.
The Wolves will move out of conference play this week with a road game on January 10 against East Helena and a January 14 home matchup against Manhattan Christian.
This week, Noble would like to see her team use a little more patience on offense.
