Ladies win District Championship over Fruitland 44-34

  Yahoo! The monkey is off their backs, well the grizzlies actually. The Lady Wolverines faced the Lady Grizzlies of Fruitland in the District Championship game on Tuesday, February 7 at TVCC gym. The game was for all the marbles and the right to represent our district as the number one seed at the State tournament this week. At one point in the first quarter, the score was similar to a baseball line score rather than a basketball game. It doesn't matter as Weiser had a run in the third quarter putting the game out of reach to win 44-34.
  Let's throw some statistics at you. Weiser's shooting in the fourth quarter wasn't much with the only field goal being a three point shot. What saved our bacon was our free throws. Weiser hit 11 of 18 tries from the charity stripe and won the game by 10 points.  That's where the game was won. This game also featured an incredible amount of shoving and pushing with Fruitland being warned multiple times for their rough behavior. It cost them in the end with plenty of fouls.
  Starters for the game were Marquita Palmer, the only 4 year starter for Coach Nick Reed, McKenzie Johnson, Nella Redman, Kellyn Fuller and Sadie Shirts. Fruitland controlled the tip but both teams were ice cold. Fuller hit a THREE at 6:08 for the first score of the game. Redman sank a free throw. When Fruitland called a timeout at 2:37, the teams were tied 4-4. Fruitland made two buckets before Fuller found Johnson for the THREE. At the end of the first, Fruitland led 8-7.
  Johnson scored off the inbound pass early in the second quarter. The lead changed a few times with Fruitland going up 12-9. Rachael Lee had a steal and finished with the soft right-handed lay-up. Johnson to Redman for the THREE and the lead 14-12. Johnson stole the ball right out of a Fruitland players hands and sprinted to the other end for the lay-up drawing the foul and sinking both free throws, 16-12. Johnson drove into the key, looked to pass but no one was open so she hit the jumper with two players in her face. At the half, Weiser 18, Fruitland 14.
  Palmer had the inside shot to increase Weiser's lead in the opening minute of the third quarter. Redman to Johnson for the THREE! Palmer sank another shot. Shirts put in a shot, 27-14. Fruitland scored their first basket in the third quarter at 1:10. Palmer sank a free throw and Shirts put two in. Fruitland would hit a three just before the buzzer, however Weiser had built a nice lead 30-19 with a quarter to play.
  Fuller hit nothing but the net and it was nearly silent for her THREE! Smooth! The fouls were coming hard now by Fruitland. Redman was fouled and the player was also given a technical. Redman sank two shots and Johnson made one of the technicals. Johnson was sent to the line many times sinking five more free throws in this quarter. Redman put in three more. Weiser would win the game from the line 44-34.
  Scoring: Johnson 18 (8 of 10 free throws), Redman 9 (6 of 8 free throws). Fuller 6, Palmer 5, Shirts 4 and Lee 2.