Hi-Liners edge Jays: Valley City hands JHS first loss

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Chris Aarhus / The Sun Jamestown's Paige Peterson tries to split the double team of Valley City's Madison Taylor, left, and Amanda Starr, right, Friday night in Valley City.
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Chris Aarhus / The Sun Jamestown's Kyra Dewald drives past Valley City's Clarissa Olson during Friday’s game.

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VALLEY CITY — Andy Skunberg watched his Jamestown High School girls basketball team fight and claw its way back into contention in the second half on Friday night.

But Valley City never let Jamestown get the giant run it needed, stifling the fourth-ranked Blue Jays in a 60-58 Class A victory at the Hi-Liners Activity Center.

“It’s the fourth game in a row we’ve started out slow,” Skunberg said. “We didn’t shoot very well. ... Valley was hitting shots.”

Jessica Denholm had a game-high 18 points and was one of three in double figures. Megan McDaniel and Danica Diegel both had 11, giving the unbeaten Hi-Liners (5-0) at least three girls in double figures in all five of their games this season.

“They came out like we thought they would,” Skunberg said. “They were scrappy and they hit their shots.”

Valley City led for most of the game, but saw the Blue Jays rally to get within one point on Erin Mullowney’s fifth 3-pointer with 12 seconds to go. The treys served as Mullowney’s only points, but provided a boost to a Blue Jays squad that otherwise struggled. Kyra Dewald had a team-high 17 points, while Paige Peterson added 10.

“Kyra did a good job of penetrating and we told Erin to spot up,” Skunberg said. “That’s four games in a row now she’s had at least three 3-pointers.”

Denholm hit the first of a pair of free-throw attempts to give her squad a two-point lead at 59-57.

Peterson had a chance to tie it for the Jays as she was fouled on a last-second shot in the lane. She missed the first one, though, and accidentally made the second one after heaving it to the basket in hopes of her team getting a putback off a rebound.

Diegel went 1-of-2 with a second left to round out the final score.

Valley City, whose coach Jim McDaniel wasn’t available, finished 20-of-31 from the charity stripe. Jamestown was 18-for-26.

Skunberg said the two practices prior to the game foreshadowed the coming events.

“We didn’t practice well at all the last two days,” Skunberg said. “The first half, it showed. We gutted it out the second half and made it a game.”

The Blue Jays (3-1) visit Belcourt on Friday.

Valley City 60, Jamestown 58

Valley City 27 33 — 60

Jamestown 18 40 — 58

Valley City: Jessica Denholm 18, Megan McDaniel 11, Danica Diegel 11, Madison Taylor 7, Clarissa Olson 6, Dierra Diegel 5, Amanda Starr 2. Totals 18 FG, 20-31 FT.

Jamestown: Kyra Dewald 17, Erin Mullowney 15, Paige Peterson 10, McKayla Orr 7, Rebekah Horgan 4, Siri Jystad 3, Billie Buchanan 2. Totals 17 FG, 18-26 FT.

Sun sports writer Chris Aarhus can be reached at (701) 952-8462 or by email at caarhus@jamestownsun.com

Tags: sports, jays, basketball