It’s hard to beat a team that makes over 20 foul shots in a game.
The Juneau-Douglas High School girls basketball team (5-10, 2-2 SEC) proved that on Friday night at JDHS, making 24 free throws in a 59-39 defeat of West Anchorage.
JDHS senior forward Cassie Dzinich scored 18 points in the first half and 22 in the game for the Crimson Bears. Teammate Caitlin Pusich made eight of 10 free throws and had 17 points. Alyxn Bohulano went four of six from the line in her first game back in three weeks.
“We went to the basket instead of avoiding contact,” Dzinich said. “That was our goal for the game so we’d get fouled and also shoot a lot of free throws.”
West Anchorage’s Naia Felix and Avalua Lauaki each scored 11 points in the loss.
JDHS began the game on a 13-1 run and led 17-4 at the end of the first quarter.
An open Dzinich layup two minutes into the second quarter gave JDHS its largest lead of the half at 17.
The Eagles responded with a 10-2 run and trailed by only seven points midway through the second quarter. The Crimson Bears outscored the Eagles 11-8 in the final minutes of the first half though and took a 34-22 halftime lead.
JDHS maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half, not letting up on defense for one moment.
“A couple turnovers and layups and that could get them right back in the game,” Dzinich said. “So just the whole game we were saying to keep playing hard, we can’t let the lead go away.”
The Eagles defeated Thunder Mountain on Thursday night, 52-31, and had won four in a row prior to Friday’s game.
Conversely, the win broke a four-game losing streak for JDHS. The Crimson Bears have now defeated three different Class 4A teams this season: TMHS, Lathrop and West Anchorage.
Ketchikan Kings vs. Thunder Mountain, 41-27
In the Mendenhall Valley, the Ketchikan Kings overtook the Thunder Mountain girls basketball team 41-27.
Kings guard Brittany Slick scored a game-high 19 points. Falcons forward Nina Fenumiai tallied nine points in the loss.
• Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nolin.ainsworth@juneauempire.com.
Thunder Mountain’s Kira Frommherz, left, has her shot blocked by Ketchikan’s Kaitlyn Smith during their game at TMHS on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
