Granite hoopsters sweep visiting Pirates at home
PHILIPSBURG – The Lady Prospectors were on fire in the night’s feature matchup while the Granite Boys earned their third straight win of the second half Thursday night against visiting Victor High School.
Boys Varsity
Granite 51, Victor 42
With the postseason starting to come into view, the Prospectors appear to be finding their rhythm in the second half of their District 13C schedule.
“The guys played well,” said GHS Head Coach Mindy Avila, “(and) I felt like we controlled the tempo most of the game. We got into foul trouble early but the guys that came off the bench really stepped up.
“Proud of these guys!”
During the opening period, Granite starter Cayhel White found himself in early foul trouble usually signaling a tough night for their squad offensively. But reserve players Jayce Martin, Hunter Wingo and Asa Lattin came off the bench to provide solid play on both ends of the floor. Martin and Lattin each scored four points while Wingo’s defense and ball handling allowed him to contribute.
Granite held a 37-32 advantage after three quarters, but Victor tried to rally early in the fourth to turn the tide. That’s when senior Guard Andrew Tallon stepped up his game, scoring 10 of his 22 points to secure the win.
“We played hard all game and it was just a matter of time before our offense started clicking,” said Tallon after the game, “then we were able to get the win."
White and 8th grader Jake Dauenhauer each contributed nine in the victory.
Granite was slated to play Darby Saturday but that game has been postponed until February 7th in Darby.
SCORING
Victor – 13/12/7/10 – 42
Granite – 16/7/14/14 – 51
Victor – Alber 4, Bowen 17, Rowlan 7, Nuttal 6, Beck 2, McLane 6
Granite – Pitcher 4, Tallon 22, White 9, Dauenhauer 9, Martin 4, ALattin 4
Boys Junior Varsity
Victor 50, Granite 34
Hunter Wingo scored 11, Kaidrick Griswold 10 and JJ Lee nine as the Boys JV Prospectors fell to Victor.
Girls Varsity
Granite 74, Victor 17
From the opening tip off to the final buzzer, it was all Granite Lady Prospectors.
The hosts scored 18 in the first quarter and bested it with a 31-point second to breeze to victory.
“What an amazing collective team win tonight,” said GHS Head Coach Cash Laslovich. “We had 23 steals and three turnovers. We brought out the fire from the start! I am proud of our team and the mental focus we had throughout the game.”
With a roster down in size, Granite’s starters played most of the game and all five managed double figures in scoring. Montannah Piar finished on top with 20 points, followed by Lucia Lee with 16, Ramsay Smith with 14, Rachel Ward with 13 and Gretchen Hill with 11. Hill completed a double-double byu adding 12 rebounds. Ward wasn’t far off from a triple-double, adding eight boards and eight assists to her scoring.
SCORING
Victor – 7/5/0/5 – 17
Granite – 18/31/15/10 – 74
Victor – Smorowski 8, Brown 8, Buchanan 1
Granite – Ward 13, Smith 14, Piar 20, Lee 16, Hill 11
Girls Junior Varsity
Victor 31, Granite 29
In a game that saw the Lady Prospector JV only field four active players, the visiting Lady Pirates claimed a win on a last second bucket by Desiree Neider.
Emily White, Allison Benson and Addie Lilyquist all had eight points each for Granite, with Regan McDonald chipping in five.
