THE DALLES — The Dalles High School girls basketball team beat Estacada High School 44-32 in an OSAA 4A Tri-Valley Conference game on Jan. 29 in Kurtz Gym.
The Riverhawks (6-10), led by coach Ronni Blodgett, started hot against the Rangers (9-9) behind sophomore Bryce Newby and freshman Anuhea Peters, who each had seven points apiece in the first half to help guide The Dalles to a 23-11 halftime lead.
“I think my favorite part [about this win] is that they’ve been working on ball movement and we did that,” Blodgett said. “The ball swings to find that great shot. We’re taking good shots, but let’s look for the great shots.”
Early in the first half, the Riverhawks implemented a full-court press. This move by Blodgett and the Riverhawks seemingly flustered the Estacada ball handlers, causing a flurry of wild passes.
“The way we run our press is we try to bait them,” said Blodgett. “We make them make a decision so we can react to it because our girls are quick. We have a pretty fast team. We try to make the offense feel like they have that open pass and then jump it. We’re just looking to jump the ball as much as we can and trap where we can.”
The Dalles pushed their lead to 20 off a Newby transition lay-in, and the Riverhawks led 33-13 with 2:16 left in the third.
The Rangers cut into the Riverhawks’ lead in the fourth quarter on a 14-4 run, cutting the lead to 37-27 with 3:00 to play, which prompted a Blodgett timeout.
The Riverhawks fought off the Rangers’ comeback attempt in the final three minutes, escaping with a win at home.
Newby led the Riverhawks in scoring with 18 points, while on defense, Hailey Johnston was all over the floor, setting a school record for blocks with 11 that night.
The Dalles was set to play Gladstone High School on Jan. 27, but the game was canceled due to illness in the Gladstone program. The game is now scheduled for Feb. 9 at The Dalles High School.
Next up, the Riverhawks head on the road to battle Molalla in an OSAA 4A TVC matchup at 7 p.m. on Feb. 3 at Molalla High School.
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