Jerome girls win 11th straight, Twin Falls girls beat Canyon Ridge; Prep sports roundup: Jan. 11

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Interclass

Wendell @ Oakley (Canceled)

Highland @ Minico (Canceled)

4A

Burley @ Wood River (Postponed)

Jerome 56, Mountain Home 38

JEROME-For Jerome head coach Kelly Williams, as her team continues to play together, the more connected they’ve become.

It was true in a 56-38 win over Mountain Home, and so far this season. Jerome grinded through the first half before surging in the third quarter on the way to its 11th straight win.

FINAL: Jerome 56, Mountain Home 38. Make that 11 straight wins for Jerome heading into a big showdown at Minico on Wednesday. Sisters Emma and Autumn Allen had 21 and 13 points, respectively to lead Jerome. Juli Donez had 15 to lead MH. pic.twitter.com/P9vQb9AWBH

— Justin Fitzgerald (@jfitzgerald52) January 12, 2024

“We keep getting better playing as a team,” Williams told the Times-News. “The more comfortable we get the more controlled we become. They’re not panicking, they trust each other, both offensively and defensively. And it’s just fun. They’re having fun out there.”

Sisters Emma and Autumn Allen led the way for Jerome (13-3 overall, 7-1 Great Basin Conference), with Emma scoring 21 points and Autumn 13. Juli Donez had 15 to lead Mountain Home (9-6 overall, 6-3 Great Basin Conference), while Lexi Longhurst added 11.

Jerome had trouble early against Mountain Home’s 2-3 zone, but started to find success when attacking the offensive glass. After Mountain Home jumped out a 12-5 lead, a second chance layup by senior Dakota Bussen allowed Jerome to get into its full-court press and spark an 8-0 run. It also set the tone for Jerome on offense for most of the first half, where they couldn’t get a lot of good looks to fall but made up for it by getting offensive rebound after offensive rebound.

“The first time we played them we didn’t do well on the offensive boards so we really worked on attacking being aggressive, finding that ball," Williams said. “And I couldn’t have asked for a better effort on the offensive boards tonight.”

Ava Johnson hit a turnaround jumper in the final seconds of the first quarter to put Mountain Home in front 14-13, but that was the last time they would lead. Jerome did enough ends of the floor in the second quarter, before taking off in the third quarter. After leading 24-20 at halftime, they outscored Mountain Home 15-4 in the third quarter to blow the game open. 

The fullcourt press continued to cause trouble, and Jerome started trapping in the halfcourt and Williams said they started cheating in certain spots to force turnovers. Then on offense, they started attacking the gaps in Mountain Home’s defense, and started to hit some of the open looks they missed in the first half.

“Offensively we were just more aware,” Williams said. “We went over here’s the gaps, here’s where we need to get the ball and the girls did it. They listened, they got the ball where we needed and we found the openings.”

Jerome travels to Minico on Wednesday with sole possession of first place in the Great Basin Conference on the line. Jerome beat Minico at home 65-62 on Dec. 5, handing the Lady Spartans their only conference loss. Minico has yet to lose at home this season.

“We have confidence but we’re not going in expecting an easy win,” Autumn Allen told the Times-News. “It’s going to be a good game.”

Twin Falls 62, Canyon Ridge 15

TWIN FALLS HIGH SCHOOL – Jasmine Morris never hesitated at the question.

“If we play how we played tonight, I think we can take it all the way to state,” Morris told the Times-News.

The Lady Bruins want to capture that display a level of dominance seen on Thursday night with a 62-15 win over Canyon Ridge.

If the Lady Bruins can share the ball at a similar rate with two double-digit scorers.

If Morris can produce a game-high 15 points like she did Thursday night, if Twin Falls uses its mixture of inside and out shooting, maybe, just maybe the Lady Bruins could return to the state tournament for the second straight year.

Time will tell but the Lady Bruins remain in striking distance after Mountain Home's loss at Jerome moved them into a tie for third in the Great Basin Conference.

Twin Falls (10-6 overall, 6-3 Great Basin Conference) broke free from an early 2-2 tie and never relinquished the lead as Rylee Robbins added a dozen points. Kaylee Smith led Canyon Ridge (1-12 overall, 1-7 Great Basin Conference) with six points.

“We feel like we are maybe a little more dangerous if you can’t just focus on one player,” Twin Falls coach Michael Amaya told the Times-News. “Probably the past two or three games, we have had different leading scorers.”

It is a theme Amaya said he likes. Some nights he can count on Rocky Mountain College signee Jaycee Jensen’s sharpshooting deep threat or Halle Egbert’s fast-paced scoring style. Or, like Thursday, double-digit production from his bench. 

The Lady Bruins extended its win streak to two after entering it with two straight losses, including a two-pointer to Jerome.

“In the beginning of the season, we struggled to make sure we looked inside and made sure we looked around to help each other out,” Morris told the Times-News. “We finally learned it is not a single person sport. You play as a team and that is what you did.”

Twin Falls will visit Ridgevue at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Pocatello at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday before ending its regular season with three straight conference games.

“In my coaching so far, this has the potential to be the most well-rounded team that I have as far as inside and outside,” Amaya said.

3A

Buhl 45, Kimberly 43

Aspen Eckert’s 14 points lifted Buhl to the win as Mataya Thomas recorded a dozen points.

Taya Plew led Kimberly with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Macy Dille secured 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Buhl (6-10 overall, 1-4 Sawtooth Central Idaho Conference) visit Gooding at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Kimberly (9-10 overall, 2-2 Sawtooth Central Idaho Conference) host Filer at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

1A DII

Hagerman @ Dietrich (Postponed) 

BOYS BASKETBALL

3A

Filer @ Marsh Valley (Canceled)

2A

Declo 57, Wendell 54

Max Snedaker’s 18 points paced Declo in these squads’ Canyon Conference opener. Emmett Gibby scored 13 and Will Garrard added 11 for Declo.

The Hornets (7-4 overall, 1-0 Snake River Conference) visit Sun Valley Community School at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Jonathan Swainston boosted Wendell with a game-high 19 points, Bodey Cutler dropped 16 and Jett Jasper logged 11.

The Trojans (6-4 overall, 0-1 Snake River Conference) visit Murtaugh at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

1A DI

Shoshone @ Raft River (Rescheduled to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 26)

Oakley 59, Carey 57

Valley 67, Murtaugh 48

Pedro Robles led Valley’s contingent of 10 scorers with 24 points in its fourth straight win. The Vikings used a 23-11 third quarter to separate themselves.

Nathan Christensen and Daniel Juarez added 10. Broxton Widmier powered Murtaugh with 18 points.

The Vikings (7-4 overall, 3-0 Snake River Conference) visit Lighthouse Christian at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 11. The Red Devils (5-5 overall, 0-1 Snake River Conference) host Wendell at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Lighthouse Christian 55, Glenns Ferry 39

Castleford 71, Hansen 50

Cache Keetch posted 20 points in the win as Jayme Ramos added 18.

Austin Friel led Hansen with 27 points.

1A DII

Richfield @ Camas County (Rescheduled to 7:30 p.m. Monday)

Hagerman @ Dietrich (Postponed)

BOYS WRESTLING

Buhl 49, Elko, Nevada 21

Minico/Wood River @ Canyon Ridge (Canceled)

Burley 48, Jerome 30

Gooding vs Kimberly/Valley @ Kimberly

Valley 30, Gooding 24

Kimberly 36, Gooding 20 

GIRLS WRESTLING

Minico/Wood River @ Canyon Ridge (Canceled)

Burley 36, Twin Falls 30