Poplar Edges Wolves For Third Place
The Poplar Indians enjoyed a big third quarter and held off Wolf Point, 52-49, in the third-place game of the District 2B girls’ basketball tournament in Malta on Saturday.
Wolf Point held a 33-28 half-time advantage, but Poplar outscored the Wolves, 130, in the third quarter for a 41-33 lead. Journey Gourneau scored eight points in the period.
The Wolves’ offensive attack got going in the third quarter on a three-point play by Maci Fourstar and a threepoint shot by Sophia Ricker.
Poplar maintained the lead and increased the margin to 48-43 on a pair of free throws by Braelyn Nordwick with 3:06 remaining.
The Wolves kept the heat on when Mattie Azure connected from three-point range, but J. Gourneau scored on a fastbreak for a 50-46 margin.
Wolf Point then missed several three-point attempts until Fourstar fired in a three-pointer to cut the gap to 50-49 with nine seconds left.
After Poplar’s Cammie Martell sank two free throws, Wolf Point’s final three-point attempt was tipped at the buzzer.
Poplar’s top scorers were J. Gourneau with 13, Nordwick with 10 and Frankie Gourneau with eight points. Also scoring were Martell with eight, Jenaeya Moran with five, Saydee Archambeault with four and Emma Belton with three.
Fourstar led the Wolves with 22 points.
Rounding out the scoring were Jorilynn Black Eagle with eight, Azure with six, Ma’Kenzie Jackson with four, Ricker with three, Harper Weeks with three, Marley Moran with one, Adalynn Smith with one and Cadence Bouldin with one.
