ARGYLE - Junior Jena Saalsaa embraces the big moments when she has to step to the line and make a free throw for the Argyle girls basketball team with the game on the line.
Juda stormed back from a 23-point deficit and Argyle withstood the improbable second-half rally by the Panthers by turning to Saalsaa, who scored a game-high 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Orioles to a 59-52 win over Juda Thursday.
Saalsaa made 6 of 6 free throws in the final 38.2 seconds to ice the win for the Orioles.
"It was some pressure free throws," Saalsaa said. "I practice those all the time. I usually make 10 out of 10. I knew my team was looking up to me. I was just thinking make the shots and don't let your teammates down."
Argyle (6-1, 1-1 Six Rivers East) looked like they would roll to the win early in the second half after junior Jadyn Saalsaa drilled a 3-pointer to give the Orioles a 48-25 lead with 13 minutes, 2 seconds left. Juda (2-3, 0-2) answered with an 18-2 run. The Panthers held the Orioles scoreless for more than 7 minutes. Argyle helped Juda's cause with 24 turnovers in the contest.
"I don't think we lost our composure," Argyle coach Kurt Ritschard said. "I think a lot of it had to do with us getting into foul trouble and our girls not knowing how to not play aggressively. I wanted to stay with the press longer, but we got into foul trouble and I took it off. I think we still need to work a lot on our halfcourt defense."
Juda senior Hailey Kammerer knocked down a jumper to cut the Orioles' lead to 48-33 with 8:52 to go. Moments later, Kammerer scored on a layup and senior Hannah Powers scored down low to slice the deficit to 50-41 with 5:10 left. Juda senior Maddie Roth later hit two straight jumpers in the lane to cut the Orioles' lead to make it 52-45 with 2:51 remaining. After the second jumper Roth drilled, she fell to the court in tears after an ankle injury and was forced out of the game.
Kammerer scored on another layup and sophomore Montana Steinmann knocked down a 3-pointer to cut score to 52-50 with just 1:11 left in regulation. Argyle had three turnovers in the final two minutes. Roth finished with a team-high 13 points. Kammerer and Steinmann each added 11 points.
"We played great except for the first 3 minutes of the game and the first 2 minutes of the second half," Juda coach Curt Brown said. "You can't come out flat against a team like Argyle who presses. We got our defense cranked up and we forced some turnovers. We cut it to two points, but they made their free throws down the stretch. That was the tale of the story."
Argyle made 7 of 12 free throws in the final 2 minutes to escape with the win. There's no question who Ritschard wanted to have the ball in crunch time.
"We wanted to get the ball to Jena (Saalsaa) because she's our best free-throw shooter," he said. "I think she has ice water in her veins. She wants to be in that position to win it for us."
Early on, it looked like the game was headed for a different type of ending. The Orioles opened the game with a 13-0 run. Jena Saalsaa buried a 3-pointer and scored seven points during the surge. The Orioles used a press and forced the Panthers into 12 of their 17 turnovers in the first half.
Juda used a 2-3 zone to try to slow down the Orioles throughout the first half. Saalsaa got her touches on the outside and hit several jumpers. The Panthers twice cut the deficit to eight points on Steinmann's 3-pointer, 25-17 with 6:33 left in the first half and again on a Karlee Kesler's free throw to whittle the lead down to 28-20 with 2:20 left in the half. The Orioles closed the first half strong with senior Morgan Nelson scoring on a layup to give Argyle a 34-20 lead at the break.
"It was really just because of the matchup with their athleticism," Brown said of his decision to play a 2-3 zone.
Argyle broke the game open with a 14-5 spurt to start the second half. Argyle junior Kirsten Ostby drilled a 3-pointer to extend the Orioles' lead to 17 points early in the second half. Saalsaa scored on two putbacks during the surge. After Jadyn Saalsaa's 3-pointer gave the Orioles a 48-25 lead, the tide turned.
Ostby added 12 points and three steals for the Orioles.
"We had a lot of players in foul trouble," Jena Saalsaa said. "I think that is why we laid back a little bit. I knew in the end we had to come out strong because defense wins games."
Brown credited his team for the resiliency they showed in battling back.
"When we made our run it was with Taylor Golackson, Mariah Riese and Montana," Brown said. "It was nice to see that when their number was called they stepped in and stepped up."
Brown also commended Kammerer for her offensive performance in a comeback that fell just short.
"Hailey Kammerer had a breakout performance," he said. "She always does a great job on defense. She did a good job of getting her shots to go."
Juda stormed back from a 23-point deficit and Argyle withstood the improbable second-half rally by the Panthers by turning to Saalsaa, who scored a game-high 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Orioles to a 59-52 win over Juda Thursday.
Saalsaa made 6 of 6 free throws in the final 38.2 seconds to ice the win for the Orioles.
"It was some pressure free throws," Saalsaa said. "I practice those all the time. I usually make 10 out of 10. I knew my team was looking up to me. I was just thinking make the shots and don't let your teammates down."
Argyle (6-1, 1-1 Six Rivers East) looked like they would roll to the win early in the second half after junior Jadyn Saalsaa drilled a 3-pointer to give the Orioles a 48-25 lead with 13 minutes, 2 seconds left. Juda (2-3, 0-2) answered with an 18-2 run. The Panthers held the Orioles scoreless for more than 7 minutes. Argyle helped Juda's cause with 24 turnovers in the contest.
"I don't think we lost our composure," Argyle coach Kurt Ritschard said. "I think a lot of it had to do with us getting into foul trouble and our girls not knowing how to not play aggressively. I wanted to stay with the press longer, but we got into foul trouble and I took it off. I think we still need to work a lot on our halfcourt defense."
Juda senior Hailey Kammerer knocked down a jumper to cut the Orioles' lead to 48-33 with 8:52 to go. Moments later, Kammerer scored on a layup and senior Hannah Powers scored down low to slice the deficit to 50-41 with 5:10 left. Juda senior Maddie Roth later hit two straight jumpers in the lane to cut the Orioles' lead to make it 52-45 with 2:51 remaining. After the second jumper Roth drilled, she fell to the court in tears after an ankle injury and was forced out of the game.
Kammerer scored on another layup and sophomore Montana Steinmann knocked down a 3-pointer to cut score to 52-50 with just 1:11 left in regulation. Argyle had three turnovers in the final two minutes. Roth finished with a team-high 13 points. Kammerer and Steinmann each added 11 points.
"We played great except for the first 3 minutes of the game and the first 2 minutes of the second half," Juda coach Curt Brown said. "You can't come out flat against a team like Argyle who presses. We got our defense cranked up and we forced some turnovers. We cut it to two points, but they made their free throws down the stretch. That was the tale of the story."
Argyle made 7 of 12 free throws in the final 2 minutes to escape with the win. There's no question who Ritschard wanted to have the ball in crunch time.
"We wanted to get the ball to Jena (Saalsaa) because she's our best free-throw shooter," he said. "I think she has ice water in her veins. She wants to be in that position to win it for us."
Early on, it looked like the game was headed for a different type of ending. The Orioles opened the game with a 13-0 run. Jena Saalsaa buried a 3-pointer and scored seven points during the surge. The Orioles used a press and forced the Panthers into 12 of their 17 turnovers in the first half.
Juda used a 2-3 zone to try to slow down the Orioles throughout the first half. Saalsaa got her touches on the outside and hit several jumpers. The Panthers twice cut the deficit to eight points on Steinmann's 3-pointer, 25-17 with 6:33 left in the first half and again on a Karlee Kesler's free throw to whittle the lead down to 28-20 with 2:20 left in the half. The Orioles closed the first half strong with senior Morgan Nelson scoring on a layup to give Argyle a 34-20 lead at the break.
"It was really just because of the matchup with their athleticism," Brown said of his decision to play a 2-3 zone.
Argyle broke the game open with a 14-5 spurt to start the second half. Argyle junior Kirsten Ostby drilled a 3-pointer to extend the Orioles' lead to 17 points early in the second half. Saalsaa scored on two putbacks during the surge. After Jadyn Saalsaa's 3-pointer gave the Orioles a 48-25 lead, the tide turned.
Ostby added 12 points and three steals for the Orioles.
"We had a lot of players in foul trouble," Jena Saalsaa said. "I think that is why we laid back a little bit. I knew in the end we had to come out strong because defense wins games."
Brown credited his team for the resiliency they showed in battling back.
"When we made our run it was with Taylor Golackson, Mariah Riese and Montana," Brown said. "It was nice to see that when their number was called they stepped in and stepped up."
Brown also commended Kammerer for her offensive performance in a comeback that fell just short.
"Hailey Kammerer had a breakout performance," he said. "She always does a great job on defense. She did a good job of getting her shots to go."
