John Michaels
IVN Contributing Writer
Although the Illinois Valley High School girls basketball team got a win this last week, winning as many games this year already as they did all last year, later in the week the Lady Cougars returned to earth with a pair of losses to give them a 3-2 mark on the year.
On Tuesday, I.V. traveled to Days Creek and equaled its win total from last year with a 43-29 victory over the Wolves.
The Lady Cougars started slowly, managing just six points in the first quarter. But IVHS was tenacious on defense and the offense managed double digits in the final three quarters in the win.
Senior Jessame Pope led the Cougars with 14 points, including eight of the 12 that I.V. scored in the second quarter when it pulled away from Days Creek.
Jadyn Grebisz added 13 and Evalynn Guzman chipped in 12 as three of the Lady Cougars hit double figures in scoring. Emily Hall scored I.V.’s other 4 points.
On Wednesday, IVHS dropped a heartbreaking overtime thriller to North Valley 39-33, ending its three-game winning streak.
Once again I.V. started off slowly, trailing 10-5 after the opening period. But the Cougars turned the tables on the Lady Knights in the second stanza, outscoring North 12-5, to take a 17-15 lead into the intermission.
Both teams tallied 6 points in the third quarter, setting the stage for an epic fourth quarter. The Knights were able to get a pair of 3-point field goals from Colbie Estes in the final eight minutes and when the buzzer sounded, the two teams were knotted at 31-31.
Unfortunately for IVHS, the more experienced Knights were able to hold the Cougars to a Saray Mendoza field goal in the overtime period, while Estes hit another long-distance shot and Emma Brito hit a three-pointer and a regular field goal allowing the Knights to escape with the 39-33 overtime win.
Pope led I.V. with 10 points, while Guzman added 8 points and Grebisz tallied seven. Mendoza chipped in six points and Hall scored a basket in the hectic final quarter.
Brito had 17 for North Valley and Estes added 16 for the Knights.
On Friday, the Lady Cougars traveled to Myrtle Creek for a non-league game with South Umpqua. The Lady Cougars dropped another close one, falling 52-48 to the 3A Lancers.
IVHS coach Jerry Walker was unable to provide scoring details for the game, as he was without a scorekeeper for the road game.
“It’s a game we could have, really should have won,” said Walker. “We gave up way too many lay-ups and did not play with the defensive intensity that we need to win a game like this.”