Dec. 16—JAMESTOWN—Claire Mark never stops.
During a Jamestown High School girls basketball game against Bismarck Century, JHS head coach Andy Skunberger picked up three fouls early in the game, forcing the junior to sit, but when she came back into the game in the second half, she kept the game going.
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“She came in and played hard,” Skunborg said of Mack. “We’ve seen it in two or three games. Her drive never stops.”
Unfortunately, one engine wasn’t enough to power the Blue Jays on Tuesday night.
In the Jaybirds’ opener, Jamestown lost to Century, 90-28. The loss moved Jamestown to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the WDA standings. Head coach Andy Skunberger and his staff will return to Mandan on Thursday. Kick-off is scheduled for 5:45 p.m.
From the start, Century was buzzing.
The visiting team led the Blue Jays 11-1 early.
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Macey Neumiller’s 3-pointer cut the Patriots’ lead to seven points with 13:14 left in the first half, but the Patriots went on a 7-2 run over the next two minutes to push the deficit to 12 points with 10:59 left.
Kaylie Welstad – a freshman for the Patriots – scored nine points in the first half. Addison Weigel also made nine 3-pointers.
Haley Attleson led the Blue Jays with seven points in the first 20 minutes of the game. Arterson scored another 6 points in the second half and the team led by 13 points. Junior Lucy Falk scored four points and Neumiller had three. Mark hit a three-pointer in the second half.
“They’re a really good team,” Skunborg said of the Patriots. “They were very athletic and fast and we couldn’t keep up with them. They got on us early and we kind of dragged our feet and didn’t try to fight back.”
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Jamestown led by 34 points at halftime.
Wellstad and Kineely Thornton led Century in scoring with 13 points each. Weigel and Olivia Klimpel also scored in double figures with 12 and 11 points respectively. All but two players on the Century Team scored at least two points.
“They shot it really well,” Skenberg said. “It seemed like every shot was going in for them. Hats off to you. They’re a good team. They won a state championship last year and brought a lot of kids back.”
Century’s trap defense forced four Blue Jays turnovers. In the first half, the Blue Jays committed 15 turnovers.
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“We just need to make better decisions and make crisper passes — some of our passes were a little weak,” Skunberg said. “They’re fast and they’re going to keep going. … I told the girls, this is a marathon, not a sprint. This is the first race in the WDA. It’s a long season. It’s baby steps. It’s a chance to see something on film and get ready to go play Mandan.”
Century 90, Jamestown 28
49 BC 41 – 90
JHS 15 13 — 28
BC — Kaylie Welstad 13, Kinley Thorton 13, Addison Weigel 12, Olivia Klimpel 11, Abby Fosland 9, Lakyn Johnson 8, Alison Volk 7, Teagan Schmidt 7, Layken Wolf 3, Christina Myerchim 3, Becca Cowans 2, Bella Martell 2. Totals: 34 FG, 9-13 FT, 13 fouls. Three-pointers: Weigel 4, Thornton 3, Walker 2, Meyerhim 1, Wellstad 1, Schmidt 1, Wolf 1.
JHS — Hayley Utterson 13, Lucy Falk 4, Claire Markle 3, Macy Newmiller 3, Hannah Utterson 2, Addison Yunk 2, Milan Martin 1. Totals: 9 field goals, 6 free throws, 11 free throws, 14 fouls. Three-pointers: Arterson 3 points, Neumiller 1 point.
