Lady Wolves Start Season With Victory Over Glasgow

Wolf Point’s girls’ basketball coach Frank Benson wasn’t very satisfied with his team’s first-half performance against Glasgow in the season- opening game on Friday, Dec. 3.

The Lady Wolves were guilty of too many fouls, weren’t rebounding well and weren’t being patient on offense. The result was a 24-23 half-time deficit.

After half-time adjustments, Wolf Point ran its halfcourt offense well and also improved its play defensively. The result was the girls tossing water on Benson to celebrate his first win, 52-48, as the program’s new head coach.

“The girls are pretty excited. They gave me a bath,” Benson laughed while wearing a wet shirt after the victory.

He said the biggest difference between the two halves was that the Wolves got the ball inside and were more patient.

With the Wolves struggling with foul trouble throughout the game, another key to the season-opening victory was the play of Haidyn Raining Bird, Katelyn MacDonald and Kaylandra St. Marks off the bench.

“Haidyn Raining Bird was a game changer,” Benson said. “That was huge.”

After a short jumper by Glasgow’s Daley Aune accounted for the first points of the second half, the Wolves ran off the next nine points on three shots inside by Sierra Hamilton and a three-pointer by Jaylee Azure for a 32-26 lead.

A three-pointer by J’Elle Garfield put the margin at 3730 with 3:20 left in the period. Two hoops by MacDonald, including one off an assist by Azure, helped put Wolf Point ahead 41-34 at the end of the quarter.

After a baseline shot by Abrianna Nielsen pulled the Scotties to 43-32 midway into the fourth quarter, Azure drove in for a basket with 3:48 left. An inside basket by Aune kept the pressure on, but Josie Kolstad connected from the baseline for a 47-44 advantage.

A basket by Hamilton, off a pass from Garfield, increased the margin to 49-44 with 1:51 remaining. Four points by Garfield gave the Wolves a comfortable 52-46 lead with only 10 seconds left.

Reaching double figures for Wolf Point were Garfield with 13, Hamilton with 10 and Hamyanie Campbell with 10 points.

Also scoring were Mac-Donald with six, Azure with six, Raining Bird with four, Kolstad with two and St. Marks with one.

Leading the Scotties were Aune with 19, Carley Nelson with 10 and Blaire Westby with nine.

The Wolves made nine of their 20 free-throw attempts compared to Glasgow’s 16 of 33 tries.

Glasgow gained a 12-5 lead in the first quarter and was ahead 15-5 until the Wolves struck for 12 of the next 14 points for a 17-17 deadlock. Campbell scored six of those points including one after a steal by MacDonald and another off an assist from St. Marks.

The Scotties took a 21-18 advantage and led 24-23 at the half.

Wolf Point will compete at the Lockwood Invitational on Friday, Dec. 10, and Saturday, Dec. 11.