A pair of close hoops games go the wrong way in Libby
<p>Dayln Germany drives in and scores (12-5), first quarter vs. T-Falls. Erica Sorlie, right.</p>
It was an all-too-familiar story for the Loggers on Friday when Thompson Falls’ Trais Hoisington carried the Bluehawks to a hoops win, 59-54.
One week after scoring 23 points in a 64-51 home win, Hoisington scored 26 points on the road. The 6-foot-4-inch sophomore proved too much down low against the young Loggers. Libby was outscored every quarter but the fourth, closing on an ambitious 19-12 run.
“Collin had a nice game,” Libby Coach Wally Winslow said of leading scorer Collin Johnson, who scored 20 points. “He shot really well and efficiently.”
Foul trouble forced the Loggers into more zone defense than they planned to employ. The well-spaced defense was exploited by athletic Bluehawks for numerous offensive rebounds.
“We couldn’t rebound the ball,” Winslow said. “We’ve struggled all year rebounding out of our zone defense.”
Dylan Vaught scored 12 points for Thompson Falls. Senior guard Jared Winslow scored 18 points and sophomore guard Jonny Cielak scored nine points.
“Jonny has some offensive ability,” Coach Winslow said. “He is figuring out the pace of the game after playing froshmore ball last year. Overall, this game was a step in the right direction.”
The Loggers return to the court 7 p.m. Friday when they host Troy.
Thompson Falls 36, Libby 31: At Libby, a halftime lead slipped from the Lady Loggers (3-8) Friday at home when the Bluehawks (7-4) came back to win.
Libby jumped to a 14-5 lead after the first quarter. The Lady Loggers maintained a 20-15 lead at halftime.
“We really executed in the first quarter,” Libby Coach Jim May said. “The things we worked on in practice showed. We moved the ball well and were more offensive minded and aggressive.”
A recurring problem plagued the Lady Loggers in the second half as the offense grew stagnant, scoring only four fourth-quarter points.
“Thompson Falls picked up the perimeter pressure, and we lost some confidence,” May said. “Our offense struggled from that point on.”
Libby was unable to capitalize on Thompson Falls’ inability to close the game convincingly. The home rims were unkind as the Lady Loggers rattled several late-game shots.
Logan Beckman led all scorers with 15 points for the Bluehawks. Dayln Germany led Libby with 10 points.
“I was happy with how we fought back,” May said. “The shots just didn’t go.”
The Lady Loggers host Troy at 6 p.m. Friday.