Wildcat girls win Silver Valley Tournament
The Kellogg girls basketball team won the Silver Valley Tournament this past weekend, knocking off Wallace 48-12 in the championship game. Pictured from left are head coach Jana Nearing and team members Erin VanHoose, Jaron Figueroa, Emma Bristow, Grace Nearing, Hailey Cheney, Kat Rauenhorst, Darian Hill, Sammy Seymour, Kaitlin Senteney, and Taeya Sheppard. Photo by JOSH MCDONALD
Silver Valley girls basketball tournament championship
KELLOGG — The Wildcats wrapped up a perfect Silver Valley tournament on Saturday evening as they dispatched the Wallace Miners 48-12 in the final game of the event.
Freshman Hailey Cheney continued her hot start to the season, leading all scorers with 12 points to go with 12 rebounds.
Kellogg’s tough defense forced the Miners into several turnovers and the hosts led 34-7 at halftime before the Wildcats essentially coasted to an easy win in the second half.
“We got beat on transition right off the bat,” Wallace coach Nichole Farkas said. “Kellogg plays a very aggressive defense that rattled us, and they are very talented. We could never settle into our game, and I was disappointed that we did not play better.”
Newcomer Sammy Seymour chipped in 11 points of her own as the Wildcats wrapped up their third game in as many days inside Andrews Gymnasium.
Wallace 2 5 2 3 — 12
Kellogg 19 15 8 6 — 48
WALLACE — Garitone 2, Frey 2, Welch 0, House 2, Sheppard 2, Hill 3, Hunter 1.
KELLOGG — Bristow 8, Hill 0, Rauenhorst 6, VanHoose 3, Senteney 0, Sheppard 0, Figueroa 6, Cheney 12, Seymour 11, Nearing 2.
Silver Valley Tournament semifinals
Kellogg 50, Clark Fork 16: The Wildcats had a slow offensive start in their opening round contest against the Wampus Cats on Friday; fortunately their defense held strong as they figured it out on the other end.
After taking a 21-7 halftime lead, the Wildcats poured in on in the second half, outscoring Clark Fork 29-9 over the final 16 minutes.
Hailey Cheney notched a game-high 15 points for the Wildcats while securing seven rebounds as well.
Taeya Sheppard chipped eight points for Kellogg.
Clark Fork 0 7 7 2 — 16
Kellogg 8 13 18 11 — 50
CLARK FORK — Anderson 0, Stevens 2, Lambert 2, Hathaway 0, Kiebert 6, Sutton 2, Simko 4.
KELLOGG — Bristow 2, Hill 2, VanHoose 2, Senteney 3, Sheppard 8, Figueroa 7, Cheney 15, Seymour 6, Nearing 5.
Wallace 52, Kellogg JV 40: The Wallace girls faced a tough test in the form of the Kellogg JV squad on Friday night, but it was a combination of timely shots and veteran experience that helped the Miners pull away from the Wildcats late in the fourth quarter.
“It was a good matchup for us,” coach Farkas said. “Nine of our players scored. It was a fast-paced game and we ran well. We did a good job on the boards and causing turnovers. We played great team ball and had some nice ball movement in transition, especially in the second half. Kellogg’s JV has some good talent and fast players.”
Megan Morin led the Miners with nine points.
Kellogg Girls Basketball
Moscow 50, Kellogg 38: The Kellogg Wildcats opened up their season with a home tilt against 4A Moscow, despite a hot start, the Wildcats came up short against the Bears.
Kellogg led by double digits early on, but Moscow closed the gap, and continued to chip away at until finally claiming the lead in the third quarter and never relinquishing it.
Hailey Cheney led the Wildcats with 16 points and nine rebounds.
Moscow seemingly couldn’t miss in the second half despite the Wildcats playing sturdy defense, something coach Jana Nearing refused to fault her team for.
“When your opponent shoots 75 percent in a game it’s tough to win,” Nearing said. “We hand a hand in their face on almost every shot, those situations happen and there isn’t much you can do. If we could have made a couple more shots of our own in the second half it would’ve helped too.”