Poplar Defeats Wolves In Opening Round

Poplar’s girls’ basketball team gained a 13-point halftime advantage and held off Wolf Point, 57-46, in the first round of the District 2B tournament in Malta on Thursday, Feb. 26.

The Wolves trailed 47-40 at the end of the third quarter, but Wolf Point opened the fourth period on baskets by Jorilynn Black Eagle and Cadence Bouldin for a fourpoint game. After Poplar’s Journey Gourneau connected on a 16-footer, Wolf Point’s Adalynn Smith hit a short jumper to cut the margin to 49-46 with 4:15 remaining.

The Indians, however, accounted for the contest’s final eight points on two hoops by Braelyn Nordwick, a free throw by Frankie Gourneau and a three-pointer by Neya Moran.

Top scorers for the Indians were Nordwick with 19, J. Gourneau with 17 and F. Gourneau with 12 points. Also scoring were Moran with seven and Ashlyn Bullchief with two. Maci Fourstar accounted for 23 of Wolf Point’s points. Black Eagle finished with eight points.

Scoring four points each were Bouldin and Mattie Azure. Adding two points each were Marley Moran, Smith and Ma’Kenzie Jackson. Sophie Ricker had one point.

The Indians’ F. Gourneau scored the first quarter’s last three points to put the Indians up 12-8 at the end of the period.

J. Gourneau and F. Gourneau led Poplar to a 17-9 lead, but Wolf Point’s Fourstar answered with the next four points.

With Poplar ahead by a 1914 margin, Nordwick struck for five straight points for a 24-14 cushion. The scoring of Marley Moran helped the Wolves cut the margin to eight points, but a three-pointer by J. Gourneau and a drive by Jenaeya Moran gave Poplar a 34-21 halftime lead. Four Star fired in a three-pointer and two free throws midway into the third quarter to bring the Wolves back to 40-35.

A drive by Fourstar late in the quarter put the score at 45-40, but Poplar tallied the last two points of the quarter on free tosses by Nordwick.