Jefferson High’s boys’ basketball hit the COVID-19 wall last weekend: With both varsity and JV teams in quarantine, games against Whitehall and Manhattan were postponed to next month.
So it was a ladies’ weekend — and the Panthers hit their own wall, dropping a conference match-up Friday with a strong Whitehall team, 71-58.
Jefferson took an early lead against their in-county rival: Rachel Van Blaricom hit a three, Cia Stuber added a basket, and the Panthers held onto a 9-8 edge midway through the first quarter. But then, the shots stopped dropping, and the Lady Trojans got hot, closing out the period with a 15-2 run to take a 23-11 lead.
MacKenzie Layng started the second with a three but the next few minutes were all Trojans, who ran off 10 points for a 33-14 advantage. Van Blaricom connected on a three and a pair of free throws, and Stuber added a pair of two-pointers, but at the half the Trojans were up 41-23.
The Panthers pulled to within 14 on a three-pointer by Dakota Edmisten but at the end of the third, they were down 63-39. Jefferson came alive in the final eight minutes, slowing down the Whitehall girls and taking the quarter, 21-8. But that was too little, too late, and Whitehall took the win.
Van Blaricom led all scorers with 27 points; Stuber added 9, Edmisten and Layng 6 each, Izzy Morris and Sam Zody 4, and Grace Alexander 2. Whitehall’s top scorers were Jade Clarkson with 25 and Brynna Wolfe 14.
The next day, the Panthers faced Manhattan in Boulder. The first quarter was rugged — Jefferson’s three points all came on free throws — and Manhattan took a 4-3 edge. I’m not sure if in my years of sports reporting for the Monitor if I have seen a quarter that low.
The action heated up a bit in the second period. Manhattan sank a pair of two pointers, but then Van Blaricom hit a three and some really great ball movement by the Panthers yielded a basket by Abbie Youde — and that seemed to wake up her teammates. Edmisten hit a pair of three pointers and a two, Grace Alexander added a three, and the Panthers ended the half with a 22-14 lead.
Jefferson’s defense took over in the third, holding the Tigers to just four points, and it was 35-18. The fourth saw great ball movement by the panthers: Edmisten put down 12 points in the quarter, with many of them coming off great passes by Van Blaricom. Morris hit a pair of free throws to put the Panthers up 54-35 and they went on to take the conference win 54-42.
Edmisten had a great night with 24 points, including three 3 pointers. Van Blaricom’s 13 points fell below her season average, but she recorded 8 assists, 6 steals, 12 rebounds. Zody added 4 points; Alexander, Youde and Stuber 3; and Stiles and Morris 2.
The boys squads will be able to practice again this Wednesday. They’ll make up the Whitehall game on February 1, and Manhattan on February 11. Boys and girls will be in Three Forks this Friday and at Choteau on Saturday.
