NORTH LOGAN -- It wasn't smooth sailing from the get-go for the Riverhawks in their first game in a week and a half.
The Wolves deserve a lot of credit for that.
Nevertheless, Ridgeline took control by getting after Green Canyon defensively, crashing the boards relentlessly and unleashing standout guard Emilee Skinner. The Riverhawks scored 17 straight points in the second quarter, slammed the door with a 24-0 run spanning the final two quarters and the end result was a comfortable 55-23 victory in a Region 11 girls basketball game on Tuesday evening.
"It was a little rough in the first quarter, but it was good to get back with the team and start playing the kind of basketball we can play," said Ridgeline forward Abby Munford, whose team limited Green Canyon to eight points during the final three quarters.
It was a very competitive opening quarter -- one that featured five ties and two lead changes. The Wolves (6-9, 1-2 region) seized the advantage three times during the first eight minutes of action -- the final time on a Talyssa Nelson 3-pointer from the top of the key with 2:25 remaining -- and went into the second quarter knotted up at 15-15.
"My gosh ... I loved how they (my team) came out tonight, I really did," GC head coach Kara Foster said. "They came out, like you said, not scared and with the intensity and physicality that we wanted from them, and I thought it paid off for them really well in the first quarter. If we can keep doing that (consistently), good things will happen for us."
Indeed, it was a very encouraging eight-minute stretch for the Wolves, but it was also a wake-up call for the Riverhawks, who seized the momentum in the second quarter. Green Canyon's only second-quarter points were courtesy of a driving layup by Nelson with 1:06 left on the clock.
"It was a great first quarter," Ridgeline head coach Ainsli Jenks said. "They were hitting some shots and I think we just kind of had to tell the girls, 'settle in and do your jobs. Don't over rotate on your players, trust your teammates that they're going to play defense on their assignment and you go do your defensive assignments. And I think the girls bought into that and worked hard."
Skinner took control in the second quarter as she accounted for 14 of her game-high 30 points. The future Duke player didn't take her first shot of the contest until there was 1:20 remaining in the opening half as she buried a step back 3-ball.
The Wolves still had some fight left in them, though, as they scored six of the first eight points of the third quarter. Kate Hansen knocked down a shot from downtown to pare Green Canyon's deficit to 34-23 with 3:30 remaining in the quarter.
Unfortunately for the hosts, those were the final points they would produce in the game. The Riverhawks forced several turnovers with their full-court press and also defended very well in the half court, plus they owned the glass.
"That's something that you can control, so I think that's something that we try as coaches to help the players with daily in practice, just to make sure those girls recognize, 'defense is where we can control most of what happens,'" Jenks said. "Offensively, you never know. You don't know what the other team's doing (initially) defensively, you don't know if shots are going to fall. So, if we can get after it defensively, good things will happen and that's something we really pride ourselves in."
Munford, in particular, was a menace on the glass as she pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds, highlighted by seven of the offensive variety. The sophomore just missed out on a double-double as she finished with eight points.
"I take a lot of pride in it because I don't want to give the other team more (scoring) opportunities and rebounding is my (primary) role, so to help the team I need to rebound the ball," said Munford, who averages more than 10 rebounds an outing.
Skinner pulled down eight rebounds, to go along with her aforementioned offensive prowess. Makaydi Jenks filled up the stat sheets with five points, seven assists -- a few of them were really well-executed passes -- and six steals, while Brooke Smith chipped in with eight points and eight boards for the Riverhawks, who extended their ultra-impressive winning streak to 36. Ridgeline (14-0, 2-0) is now ranked 21st nationally by maxpreps.
Nelson paced the Wolves with 15 points, while Mya Hinds chipped in with five. The duo accounted for all 15 Green Canyon points in the first quarter, and Nelson also had a nice blocked shot at the rim to prevent an easy Ridgeline bucket.
"I loved that," Foster said of Nelson's aggressive play in the first quarter. "T shoots the ball really, really well. She's a very consistent shooter and she's also working on attacking the basket, and I thought there were times she did that really well tonight as well. And she's doing that more and more and more, and I think that's opening things up for her offensively as a player. ... She just gets better every game."
OTHER REGION GAMES
Mountain Crest (10-5, 3-0) remained atop the region standings with a 54-38 road win over Bear River (2-11, 0-3), while Sky View (10-5, 2-1) traveled to Weber County and left with a 52-45 triumph over West Field (3-9, 0-2). Logan (2-11) was also in action and lost at home to fellow 4A program Park City, 46-19.
"It was a tough game," MC head coach Jaycee Carroll said. "Bear River is always tough. Emerysn Brown led the way with 17 points tonight. It was a defensive battle. We didn't pull away until the fourth quarter. It was back and forth."
Leighton Pratt and Bella Carroll accounted for seven points each for the Mustangs, who had eight different players contribute in the scoring column. Mountain Crest has now won five straight games. Robbie Marble paced the Bears with 13 points.
Sky View and West Field were locked into a very competitive battle as it was a one-point game heading into the second and third quarters. However, the Bobcats won the third quarter 18-7 to give themselves some breathing room.
"It was a good road road win," SV head coach Vanessa Hall said. "We rebounded the ball well tonight and kept West Field off of the glass. We took care of the ball and hit some clutch free throws down the stretch to secure the win. We were able to move the ball around to create open looks."
Mya Eskelson poured in 17 of her game-best 19 points after halftime for the Bobcats, who got 13 points from Kaitlyn Schumann and 10 from Claire Fischer. Eskelson helped keep the Longhorns at bay by draining 10 of 12 shots from the charity stripe.
A rough first quarter prevented Logan from hanging with Park City (4-8). The Miners outscored the Grizzlies 17-2 during the first, but only by three-to-five points in each of the other quarters.
Ruby Kutarna sank two treys on her way to eight points for Logan, while Joselin Rodriguez added four.
TUESDAY BOYS GAMES
Preston dominated fellow Idaho 5A program Burley in the first two quarters and coasted to a 69-41 road victory, while 6A Weber left Cache Valley with a 74-47 triumph over Logan.
The Indians (11-1) raced out to a 22-6 first-quarter lead over the Bobcats (1-8) and extended that already commanding advantage to a whopping 41-16 margin at the half. Cruz Harris finished with eight of his game-leading 17 points in the first quarter for Preston, which got 14 points from Reggie Larsen, 12 from Parker Galloway, nine from Jake Schumann and seven from Trip Beckstead.
"We had a great start tonight and were able to get some stops and easy buckets in transition," said Preston head coach Tyler Jones, whose team blew out Burley at home last month, 63-28. "On the road, you always want to get off to a fast start. We outrebounded them 43-24. Hopefully, we can keep building momentum this week."
Meanwhile, Logan (4-8) was unable to dig itself out of a 26-8 first-quarter hole against Weber (9-4). The Warriors had four players in double figures, led by Luke Bingham's 20 points. Ethan Woolley and Reed Olsen netted 15 points apiece for the Grizzlies, followed by Grayden Olsen with seven.