After the Jamestown High School girls basketball team's last-second loss to Minot on Thursday evening, Andy Skunberg said the Jays just needed to get better in practice on Friday.
The weather had other plans, canceling all after-school activities on Friday but the lack of a structured practice didn't keep Ella Falk from getting better.
Falk helped the Jays cap off their three-game week with a win over Watford City on Saturday afternoon, outlasting the Wolves 81-49. Jamestown is sitting at 5-4 in the West Region and 6-4 overall. Watford City is currently ranked ninth in the WDA with a record of 1-8 and 2-10 overall.
"That one felt good," Falk said. "Minot — still kind of stings I guess but it's OK. It's just good to move on and get a win."
The Blue Jays' lone test next week is scheduled for Tuesday against Bismarck St. Mary's. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. at Jerry Meyer Arena.
ADVERTISEMENT
Falk notched seven points in the Jays' matchup against Minot, while on defense she nabbed 10 total rebounds. The junior dished out three assists to her teammates Thursday.
While her performance against the Majettes was a little lackluster for her liking, Falk quickly made up for it in the first 18 minutes of Saturday's tilt, notching 12 of the Jays' first 14 points.
"It was good to see Ella shoot well," JHS head coach Andy Skunberg said. "She came out ready to go and hit some shots."
Two back-to-back 3s for Falk gave the home team a 10-point, 14-4 lead over their opponents. Katie Trumbauer, Katie Falk, Hunter Petersen and Annie Nabwe kept the streak going, putting together a 21-10 run that kept their team in front by 22 with about three minutes to play in the first.
"We came out and we got our shots early and got a lead and just maintained," JHS head coach Andy Skunberg said. "It was a good bounce-back game after Minot. It's good to see the girls have confidence shooting against other teams."
Madison Spacher kept the Wolves alive with 12 of the team's 21 first-half points.
Falk said that although the weather had ended
up canceling Skunberg's Friday practice, she along with some of the other Blue Jay starters spent some of their own time at Jamestown's Two Rivers Activity Center (TRAC) in order to work on offensive plays and steady and consistent guarding.
"We did some four-on-four, we did some one-on-one and just got active for the day because we didn't have practice," Falk said. "We always find something when we have breaks and don't have practice."
ADVERTISEMENT
The off-the-clock time in the gym seemed to serve the Jays well, as they rode their 18-point lead into the second half.
While Watford tallied nine points in the opening three minutes, Jamestown's already-comfortable lead combined with some steady offense gave them some breathing room in the second frame.
Katie Falk's pair from the stripe established a 63-35 lead with just under 10 to play. Karli Remmick produced seven off the bench while Peyton Waliser hit a pair of 3s with less than five to play.
As a team, the Blue Jays hit 12 from outside the circle, with Falk and Katie Trumbauer leading the way with four apiece.
Falk ended the 36 minutes with 18 total points. Nabwe was the team's leading scorer with 19.
"Everybody was shooting well and that's just like a snowball effect," Falk said. "We started a little slow but we came around and got the job done."
Jamestown 81, Watford City 49
WC 21 28 — 49
ADVERTISEMENT
JHS 39 42 — 81
WC — Madison Spacher 21, Jessica Mogen 11, Bailey Mattson 9, Jordyn Pederson 4, Gracen Breitbach 2, Maycee Garmann 2.
JHS — Nabwe 19, Falk 18, Trumbauer 16, Remmick 7, Waliser 6, Katie Falk 6, Rylee Joseph 3, Hunter Petersen 2, Teagan Bosche 2, Haylie Hakanson 2. Totals: 31 FG, 7-8 FT, 14 fouls. 3-pointers: Falk 4, Trumbauer 4, Waliser 2, Joseph 1, Remmick 1.
