As the basketball regular season winds down, the attention of coaches and players drifts more and more to the district standings. With two weeks of play remaining, both of Jefferson High’s teams need wins – and probably some timely aid from their rivals – to gain position for the District 5B tournament that begins Feb. 14. Tough division losses at home last weekend didn’t help the cause.
The Panther boys took on two teams rated high in Class B. Three Forks, which visited Boulder on Jan. 25, has some talented seniors left over from a team that last year won the divisional title and made a good showing at State. Their experience showed. While Jefferson stayed close in the first quarter, with Bryce Harrington accounting for half of his side’s eight points, it couldn’t stop a run in the second that gave the Wolves a 33-16 lead at the half.
It got worse. In the third quarter, the Panthers were overwhelmed by a 31-point Wolves burst. With the score 64-29 at the end of that period, both teams turned to reserves for most of the fourth. Final score: 79-40, as Trent McMaster (14) and Harrington (10) were the only Panthers in double figures.
Saturday night, the Choteau Bulldogs arrived at JHS. Once again, the Panthers stayed close in the opening minutes on a three by Jaxson Yanzick and a basket by Kieran Eveland. But then the Bulldogs knocked down a trio of three pointers to take a 19-9 lead, which bulged to 31-17 by the half.
The Panthers came out in the third with new energy. Avery Stiles and Yanzick sank long-range bombs, and a steal by Yanzick led to a three by McMaster to pull Jefferson within eight with 5:17 left in the period.
The Panthers made another run in the fourth, jazzing the home crowd with a pair of baskets by Eveland and a pair of free throws by Harrington to pull within nine points. But that’s as close as they got: Despite a strong second half, Choteau sealed the deal, 62-50. Harrington led the Panthers with 13 points, and Stiles added 10.
Girls
The Lady Panthers took on Three Forks on Friday with a great opportunity to gain ground in the standings. When these teams met earlier in the season, the Panthers took a win in overtime, so the crowd was anticipating a taut game.
The crowd was right: It stayed close throughout. The Panthers and Wolves were tied at four, then again at six, and Rachel Van Blaricom’s three and two near the end of the first period left Jefferson down by just one. A second quarter run put Three Forks up by 10 with a little over a minute left in the half – but a pair of three pointers by Van Blaricom in the last 40 seconds brought Jefferson back to 23-20.
Laurynn Armstrong took over in the third period, hitting two three pointers and then coming up with a steal to make it 29-26 with 4:10 left. But then, the Panthers’ basket iced over. Their shots wouldn’t go in, and the Wolves took a 38-26 lead into the final eight minutes.
The Panthers rediscovered their mark early in the fourth. Dakota Edmisten stole the ball and scored, and then Armstrong hit a pair of free throws, her third three-pointer of the game and another free throw to bring Jefferson to within six, 40-34.
But the last four minutes belonged to Three Forks. Its tight single- and double-coverage of Van Blaricom kept the Panthers’ leading scorer from getting to the hoop, allowing the Wolves to avenge their earlier loss with a 45-34 victory. Van Blaricom led the Panthers with 14; Armstrong added 10.
On Saturday, the Panthers took their revenge on Choteau, which had the upper hand the last time the two teams met. Jefferson started strong, jumping out to a 10-2 lead on a three by Armstrong and a steal and score by Van Blaricom. Grace Jones started the second with a basket and a three by Mykala Edmisten put the Panthers up 17-4. By the half, after nice baskets by Callie Warfle and Ashton Oxarart, it was 27-15.
The third quarter went back and forth – but in the final period, it was clear that Jefferson was in its zone. A nice pass from Warfle to Van Blaricom, who fed Jones for the basket, gave Panther fans a thrill, then a two by Armstrong gave Jefferson a 20-point cushion. Grace Alexander finished it off with a drive under the basket, capping the score at 52-30. Van Blaricom led a well-balanced Panther attack with 19 points.
This Thursday, the Panthers host Ennis, with C boys playing at 3 p.m., JV girls at 3 p.m., JV boys at 4:30 p.m., varsity girls at 6 p.m., and varsity boys at 7:30 p.m.. On Saturday, the teams travel to Sweet Grass; action starts at 1 p.m. with the sub-varsity teams, followed by the varsity teams at 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
