Jordan Valley senior Regann Skinner (right) drives in for a layup, defended by Crane’s Shelie Doman during Friday’s league play at home. (Photo courtesy of Skyler Forsythe)
JORDAN VALLEY – Momentum swung between the Jordan Valley and Crane girls basketball teams at a frantic pace Friday night.
Ultimately, it was the Lady Mustangs who finished with it, earning a thrilling 53-50 win over the visiting Crane Mustangs in High Desert League play.
“It was such an intense game,” said Jordan Valley coach Kelsi Skinner. “We trailed almost the entire game until probably the last four minutes.”
Crane got off to a strong start, taking a 12-3 lead by the end of the first quarter.
When the game was in doubt, Jordan Valley turned up the aggressiveness. The Lady Mustangs finally broke through and the teams played even in the second quarter, but Crane still led at the half 22-14.
“We made some adjustments after the first quarter,” said Skinner. “We were down by eight at the half, but we came back out to play harder.”
After the break, it was all Jordan Valley as the Lady Mustangs rallied to close Crane’s lead to 32-27 by the end of the third quarter. Jordan Valley opened the fourth quarter strong as the Mustangs caught up to Crane with four minutes left on the clock.
“It was getting loud in there,” said Skinner. “The game got so intense, and it was loud.”
The teams traded punches from there before Jordan Valley took control and built a 43-40 lead.
“The girls never quit. They always gave their 110 percent effort,” said Skinner. “They never gave up. It was a fun game.”
Regann Skinner scored 18 points and Kiana Quintero chipped in 10 for Jordan Valley.
“Crane is a good team, and they’re big. They’re big on the inside,” said Skinner. “Stub Travis is also a good coach, and they’re a young team. They’ve got a freshman who’s over six feet tall, and she’s very athletic and a very good ball player.”
The Jordan Valley girls team had another big night Saturday on the road as the Lady Mustangs took down their hosts at Dayville/Monument 53-24.
A big second quarter opened up the game for the Mustangs as they entered halftime with a 34-18 lead over the Tigers.
Jordan Valley’s Skinner finished the game with 15 points, including two three-pointers, while Quintero had 12 points and made two three-pointers.
“We beat then 53-24, but it never felt like that,” said Skinner. “Monument girls are tough, but my girls played hard. They had a little adrenaline leftover from the day before.”
The Lady Mustangs are now 8-0 in league.
Meanwhile, the Jordan Valley varsity boys team lost to Crane 64-56 on Friday night, marking the Mustangs’ first High Desert League defeat.
A day after the loss, the Mustangs hit the road and pulled out a 57-41 win over Dayville/Monument.
The Mustangs are 7-1 in High Desert League play along with Crane, while Prairie is undefeated at 7-0.
The Jordan Valley girls and boys teams play their next two games at home, first on Friday against Prairie City and Saturday against Adrian.
ADRIAN
In Adrian, the varsity girls struggled with Dayville/Monument’s pressure for most of Friday night but then settled into its offense.
The Lady Tigers outscored the Lady Antelopes for most of the game, leading by 17 at one point. However, Adrian held on in the fourth to try to win the game.
With less than 6 minutes on the clock, Adrian managed to catch up to Dayville/Monument at 51-51. But a little foul trouble and missed rebounds forced the Lady Antelopes to hand over a 55-51 win to the Tigers.
The Adrian girls had better luck on the court on Saturday as they cinched a 59-49 win on the road against Prairie City.
The team is 5-3 in High Desert League play.
Meanwhile, the Adrian varsity boys had everything they wanted in the first half against Dayville/Monument on Friday night.
The Antelopes got off to a hot start and forced turnovers, forcing the Tigers to play out of their element.
But the third quarter is when the Tigers made adjustments and were able to break Adrian’s press. From there, the game was close the entire way.
But the Antelopes picked a bad time for fouling.
Adrian was still leading almost the entire game, despite Dayville Monument efforts, until the final five minutes of the game, when the Tigers tipped the game in their favor at 52-51. A couple foul shots by the Tigers ended up being the difference, as Dayville/Monument pulled for a 55-51 victory in High Desert league play.
The Adrian boys had another tough game Saturday, losing 88-49 to Prairie City on the road.
The Antelopes stand with a 4-4 league record.
Both Adrian girls and boys basketball teams play again this weekend, Friday at home against Long Creek/Ukiah and Saturday on the road against Jordan Valley.
HARPER
The Harper varsity girls basketball team snapped a two-game losing streak Friday night with a 37-29 win over Long Creek/Ukiah in 1A High Desert League play.
The Lady Hornets had another good day on the court when they traveled to Burnt River Saturday afternoon to beat the Bulls with a 27-19 win.
Meanwhile, the Harper varsity boys had a tougher weekend.
The Hornets fell to 2-6 overall as they ended last weekend on a four-game losing streak.
On Friday night, the Harper Hornets lost to Long Creek/Ukiah 49-45. Harper fell again the next day on the road to Burnt River, losing to the Hornets 32-31.
FOUR RIVERS
Four Rivers Charter School suffered some basketball losses last weekend as the teams continue to deal with growing pains.
The Lady Falcons fell to Prairie City 54-22 on Friday before yielding 44-40 to Long Creek/Ukiah on Saturday. The girls enter this week with a 3-6 record in the High Desert League.
Meanwhile, the boys dropped league contests to Prairie City, 100-21, on Friday and Long Creek/Ukiah, 78-43, Saturday.
The Four Rivers boys head into this weekend with a 0-9 league record.