Riverhawks banding together at right time

In the Riverhawks’ win over No. 5 Bend on Saturday, Jesch added eight points and six rebounds.

Tuesday at Vannet Court in Hood River, the senior tallied six points, had five rebounds, blocked three shots, and added a steal and an assist, as the Riverhawks outmuscled the Eagles by a 54-38 margin.

TD coach Craig Compton is happy to see his senior elevating her game at the right point of the season.

“Karen is going to be very important for us,” Compton said. “She brings rebounding, she can block a few shots and she can finish at the hoop. That is all we ask of her and that is what she has to do. Each player has their role. We are not asking them to do more than they can handle, just what they can handle and do what they are supposed to do. Karen is doing a great job of that.”

While Jesch patrolled the inside, TD point guard Kailin Hoylman handled the offense with precision, as her speed and driving ability opened up the team’s 3-point game.

The Hawks made seven first-half 3-pointers, three from Brooke McCall, two by Sierra Watson and two more off the fingertips of Hoylman to give the squad a 32-22 lead at the break.

“When Kailin is penetrating inside, it makes it a lot easier for all of us because defenders get sucked into her and it opens things up for her passes to the outside or to another player inside the lane,” Watson said. “We get open shots and it allows our offense to flow a lot better.”

Staked to a 10-point lead at the start of the second half, TD started the first two minutes on a 14-5 run to make the lead, 46-27.

Jodi Thomasian had a layup, McCall drained a jumper and Hoylman hit a driving layup to swell the Hawk lead to 38-24.

Thomasian and Lindsey Robinson dropped consecutive baskets, but Bailey Frazier ended the period with a 3-pointer to draw the Eagles to a 42-27 deficit with one quarter remaining.

Jesch and Thomasian scored two baskets each, McCall hit two free throws, and Hoylman added a layup to cap a 12-11 fourth-quarter output.

Hood River Valley mustered three second-half field goals and made 8 of 8 free throws, but The Dalles notched 10 baskets from five different players.

McCall paced TD with 14 points, Thomasian had 12 points, Hoylman tacked on 12 points, nine assists and three rebounds, and Watson finished with eight points.

Playing without all-league guard Iliana Telles due to injury has given every player an extra incentive to add a different dynamic to the roster when called upon.

“We have lost a player for a little bit, so I feel like with that, everybody took it as an urge to step up a little bit to play well for her cause,” Watson said. “I know if I was hurt, I would be upset because I am not playing, but if my teammates were playing well, I would feel a lot better. We need to continue that throughout the rest of the season.”

Hood River Valley (6-7 overall, 0-3 league) had nine field goals, five 3-pointers, and shot 15 of 19 from the free throw line, with Hannah McNerney leading with 11 points.

Emily Curtis added eight points, none in the second half, Lauren Orr went for seven points, and Ann Marie Goodman tallied six points, all on free throws.

Since a 12-point loss at Pendleton on Jan. 27, the Riverhawks (6-7, 1-2) have won two games in a row and have averaged 46 points and given up 36 points a contest in that span.

The win put TD at third place in the Columbia River Conference standings with six games left, the first one at 7 p.m. Friday against Hermiston at Kurtz Gym.

“These last two wins definitely builds our confidence,” Watson said. “We have some tough games coming up, but I think we have some momentum to our season now. This encourages us to want to do everything we can to help the team win.”