Pocatello improves to 7-0 with resounding victory over rival Highland
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POCATELLO — The Highland Rams entered Thursday’s game coming off a win over crosstown rival Century, ready for the challenge of facing another rival and a team, in Pocatello, with state championship aspirations.
They gave the Thunder a challenge early, using the emotion of a loud home crowd to take an 11-10 lead into the second quarter.
Behind the hounding defense of Devree Bell, and some timely shooting from Jaycie Homer, Highland was within striking distance, down 26-24, at halftime. But Pocatello, riding stingy defense and the scoring of Abby Lusk, pulled away in the second half to earn a 52-39 win.
Head coach Sunny Evans said that it was “pretty tough” to break down the overall performance of her team. On one hand, they won and showed some great things. But on the other, there were some weaknesses that the coach was quick to point out when meeting with the team after the game.
“I really liked us in the third quarter,” she said after the game. “I liked our effort — I don’t, maybe, love our attention to detail at times.”
The Thunder (7-0) suffered numerous turnovers and bad fouls in the first half and can thank some poor free throw shooting from Highland (3-3) for their halftime advantage.
But they corrected those mistakes in the third, winning the quarter 22-9 before holding the Rams to six in the fourth.
Asked whether it was her team’s offense or defense that was more impressive during the dominant third quarter, Evans was torn.
“Our defense is what got us some easy looks (on offense),” she said. “I’d so I’m most impressed with our willingness to guard and just get after it.”
The Thunder weren’t just getting stops on the defensive end, they dominated the glass — at one point grabbing nine consecutive rebounds. And while the defense from Liv Marshall and Taylee Rogers was leading in slowing the Highland attack, Lusk made the Rams pay at the other end.
The junior, who finished the game with 24 points, seven rebounds and one steal, scored 10 in the third quarter alone — including a personal five-point run that pushed the Pocatello lead from 12 to 17.
“Abby is capable of that,” Evans said. “Even if, sometimes, she’s struggling to shoot it, she finds ways to get a steal or an offensive rebound, she’s finding ways to impact the game all over the floor, and then she ends up with 20-10 because she just keeps working.”
Kennasyn Garza — Lusk’s teammate on the Pocatello volleyball team — chipped in 13 points and nine rebounds.
With increased ball pressure for the full 94 feet from Pocatello, the Rams offense never shook the tailspin in struggled through in the third quarter, as their struggles were just as prnounced in the fourth quarter — scoring four of their six points in the perion on made free throws from Peyton Peiper.
Peiper finished the game with 10 points to pace Highland.
The Rams will be back on their home court Saturday to face Minico.
Pocatello does not play again until Wednesday, when they will host Madison.