Thunder Mountain High School girls basketball secured their second win of the season Saturday, defeating West Valley to complete a two-game series sweep of the visiting Wolfpack.
The girls defended their way to the 43-40 win.
“We’ve been working better as a team and playing as one unit, more team defense rather than personal defense,” sophomore Charlee Lewis said.
The two wins this weekend came down to fundamentals, something first-year coach Chandler Christensen has been trying to establish. The girls cut down on their fouls, organized their help defense and hit more free throws in their first two wins.
Junior Cyrene Uddipa, the oldest player on the young Falcons squad, led the team with 15 points. Nina Fenumiai and Kyra Jenkins-Hayes followed with eight points each.
The Falcons led in scoring in the first three quarters. Uddipa opened strong, hitting two threes and a field goal in the first.
Physical play from Jenkins-Hayes, who got to the line for six free throws in the second and third, netted the Falcons four free throws and a field goal for a 39-28 lead heading into the final frame.
West Valley buckled down on defense in the fourth, outscoring the Falcons 13-4 in the final period in an unsuccessful rally.
The Falcons play next at Sitka on Jan. 13 and 14.
FALCONS 43,
WOLFPACK 40
Thunder Mountain 14 11 14 4 — 43
West Valley 7 9 11 13 — 40
Thunder Mountain (43) — Uddipa 15, N. Fenumiai 8, Jenkins-Hayes 8, Lewis 6, T. Fenumiai 5, Hauck 1
West Valley (40) — Silva 14, Dick 8, Yarde 4, Winkleman 3, Wing 3, Reid 3, Weckworth 2, Martellaro 2, Pendergrass 1
Free throws — Thunder Mountain 13-28, West Valley 9-18
3-point goals — Thunder Mountain 2, West Valley 1
Team fouls — Thunder Mountain 17, West Valley 23
