Jefferson High fans got their pre-holiday basketball fix last week, enjoying match-ups with three opponents in three days. The Panther girls swept their games, confirming their spot atop the state Class B rankings, while the boys took two of three.
County rival Whitehall High visited Boulder on Thursday — and for the girls, it was no contest. The Lady Panthers wasted little time, as Cia Stuber hit a pair of three pointers and a long two, and Rachel Van Blaricom added a three and a pair of two-pointers. In the first eight minutes of play, the Panthers put 27 points on the board, while holding Whitehall to just 6, four of those on free throws.
Jefferson subbed freely in the second quarter, but still fattened its lead to 39-15. In the third, MacKenzie Layng stepped it up with a three and four more points, and the Panthers’ margin grew to 58- 21. The subs did a great job in the final period, knocking down 12 points while holding the Trojan girls to one. Final score: 70-22.
Four Lady Panthers were in double figures, as the girls shared the ball very well: Layng led the team with 14 points, while Stuber had 13, Van Blaricom 13, Dakota Edmisten 10, Izzy Morris 6, Jessie Harris 5, Arena Faler 5, and Austie May 4. Lindsay Briggs was high for Whitehall with 10, and Maxine Hoagland added 8.
The boys’ game was much closer. Trent McMaster swished an early three and the Panthers held on for a 15-14 lead after one. The lead changed hands a few times in the second: McMaster put in 7 of his team’s 14 points, making it 29-25 at the half.
Both teams put down 18 points in the third, with Luke Eckmann scoring 7 while Whitehall’s Brendan Wagner heated up with 12 of his game-high 26 points. In the final period, the Panthers built a small lead, then held on as Wade Rykal put in four key points and the team made 5 of 10 free throws. Final: 60-50, Jefferson. Tyler Harrington led the Panthers with 16, while McMaster added 15, Jake Genger 11, Rykal 8, Eckmann 8, and Tom Meyer 2.
The next day, the Panthers welcomed Anaconda. In the boys’ match-up, Eckmann started the scoring with a 4-point play, sinking a free throw after a three. A steal and score by McMaster, a two by Genger and a three by Meyer gave Jefferson a 11-0 lead, and Zach Zody’s three at the buzzer made it 15-4 at the end of one.
The Panthers poured it on in the second. Rykal put in 6 points, Harrington added 5, and within two and a half minutes, Jefferson had sped to a 26-4 lead. It was 35-14 at the half, and in the third, the Panthers made a 15-0 run. McMaster hit a three then followed with a steal and score, and Meyer took an assist from Hyrum Parke for a basket and then scored again. The result: A commanding 54-19 lead at the end of three. Subs took over in the fourth, with Park, Dalton Noble, and Mike Emter each putting in 4 points to seal a 69-25 win. Rykal and McMaster led with 11 each, while Meyer added 10.
The Lady Panthers took the floor for a battle of top-10 ranked Class B teams. Austie May blocked a shot to set the tone, then Morris hit a three to open the scoring. Stuber added a three and Van Blaricom a pair of free throws and a long three-pointer, followed by a steal and score to make it 13-5 after one. In the second, Brynna Wolfe knocked down a three and Edmisten a two, and Morris stole the ball and scored to give the Panthers a 20-10 lead; and Edmisten and Wolfe added three-pointers to make it 30-21 the half.
Anaconda woke up in the third, working their way to 30-28 before the Panthers started hitting again. Wolfe was fouled on a three-point attempt and swished all three free throws for a 37-30 lead, and it was Panthers, 41-35, after three.
The final period was close for an instant: Anaconda crept to within 41-39 before the Panthers got hot. Layng hit a three and then a two. It was Stuber for two more, and Van Blaricom for two free throws and a bucket. And when the buzzer sounded, it was 62-47, Jefferson. Van Blaricom led the scoring with 21, while Wolfe had three 3-pointers and 14 points.
By Saturday, when Manhattan came to town, the Lady Panthers may have felt a little run down: The game opened with Jefferson’s lowest first quarter total of the season — a 6-4 lead. But they warmed up in the second, and a pair of three pointers by Wolfe paved the way for a 22-9 halftime edge.
Stuber hit a three to open the third, and Arena Faler hit a pair of baskets to put the Panthers up 33-12. From there, the subs finished out the game, outscoring the Tigers 15-7 in the final period to take a 50-23 win. Again the scoring was spread out: Layng led with 11, Wolfe had 10, and Faler, Stuber, Van Blaricom and Morris each had 6.
The boys hung close to Manhattan, last year’s state runner-up. Wade Rykal opened the scoring; and Eckmann added a basket to stop a six-point Manhattan run. Harrington hit a two and Rykal an old-fashioned three to put the Panthers up 12-11, and Zody hit a three for a 18-12 lead at the end of one.
Manhattan started the second with a 10-0 run. Genger put an end to that, but the Tigers went on another tear to take a 30-37 lead at the half. Three pointers by Meyer and Harrington kept it close, and Jefferson was down 49-44 after three. With 1:02 left in the game, the Panthers were still within range, 54-59, but the Tigers pulled it out at the free throw line to take the 68-58 win. Harrington led all scorers with 27 points, including five three-pointers; Rykal added 10 and Genger 9.
The sports year was set to close out this week with the C boys at Butte on Monday; games at home Tuesday against Three Forks, and a trip to Choteau on Wednesday.
