One more game: Jays rout Wahpeton; will play for fifth

• Image

Chris Aarhus / The Sun Jamestown’s Kyra Dewald, rear, throws a lob pass to teammate Billie Buchanan, front, during their Class A state consolation game Friday in Bismarck.
• Image

Chris Aarhus / The Sun Jamestown’s Paige Peterson gets tied up while trying to shoot against Wahpeton’s Seri Birchem (4) and Caleigh Differding, right, during Friday’s state-tournament game at the Bismarck Civic Center.

Talk about it

BISMARCK — The inside-outside combination of Paige Peterson and Kyra Dewald kept Wahpeton guessing on Friday night.

The Jamestown High School duo combined for 55 points as the Blue Jays downed Wahpeton 86-65 in consolation play at the Class A state tournament at the Bismarck Civic Center.

“I tried to get it inside as best as I could,” said Dewald, who finished with 30 points and seven assists. “They were playing tight defense on me. The inside-outside game works best when they play tight defense on me.”

Jamestown (18-6) kept its season alive and meets Mandan at 9:30 a.m. for fifth place. The two teams split in the regular season.

“I sure didn’t want today to be my last game,” said Dewald, who scored her 1,000th point in a loss to West Fargo on Thursday. “I wanted to play one more, so it feels good.”

Wahpeton (10-14) scored on a 3-point play to open the second half and get within one at 42-41, but Dewald had eight points during an ensuing 14-2 run that put the Huskies in a difficult hole. Wahpeton never got back to within single digits.

Jamestown coach Andy Skunberg said he stressed attacking the basket and playing with more energy at halftime.

“We said we need to pick up our game, all-around,” he said. “Defensively, keep them in front of us and offensively, we need to attack.”

Dewald led the charge, scoring 21 in the second half including a 9-of-10 effort from the free-throw line. Jamestown finished 27-of-33 from the stripe.

Aiding the Blue Jays was a sometimes-impatient offense by Wahpeton on the other end. The Huskies were 5-of-9 in the first half from the 3-point line, but missed on all nine tries in the second half.

“Wahpeton was shooting quick shots. They were making shots in the first half, but we knew they’d cool off,” Skunberg said. “We just (had) to get rebounds and push. That was kind of the difference in the game, getting them out of their rhythm a little bit.”

Peterson did most of her damage in the first half, and the Jays needed it, too. The 6-foot-1 junior center had 10 of her team’s first 17 points, helping the Blue Jays stave off a resilient Wahpeton squad, which stayed within two possessions for most of the half. Peterson was 7-of-8 from the field and made 11 of her 12 free-throw tries.

“She finished shots; we’ll take that all day,” Skunberg said. “She was shooting with confidence and looking to attack. She has a nice, soft touch around the rim. It’s great for her to have a breakout game. It’s been a little while, so it’s good for her to do that.”

Wahpeton was led by Lachelle Bumgarner’s 14 points, while Whitney Klosterman and Allison Albrecht added 13 and 12, respectively.

Skunberg said the effort was nice to see, but fifth place would be a great way to cap the season.

“(Thursday) was a heartbreaker,” he said. “There’s no shame in getting fifth place. ... We’ve still got a game to play. We’ve still got something to prove.”

Jamestown 86, Wahpeton 65

Jamestown 42 86

Wahpeton 38 65

Jamestown: Kyra Dewald 30, Paige Peterson 25, Billie Buchanan 9, McKayla Orr 8, Erin Mullowney 8, Rebekah Horgan 4, Addie Eamon 2. Totals 28-52 27-33 86.

Wahpeton: Lachelle Bumgarner 14, Whitney Klosterman 13, Allison Albrecht 12, Caleigh Differding 7, Tylee Irwin 6, Erika Differding 6, Molly Wynn 5, Seri Birchem 2. Totals 21-62 18-31 65.

3-pointers: J 3-12 (Mullowney, Dewald), W 5-18 (Bumgarner 2, Albrecht 2, Irwin). Rebounds: J 40 (Peterson 14), W 37 (Klosterman 9). Assists: J 16 (Dewald 7), W 13 (Bumgarner 4). Steals: J 7 (Orr 3, Dewald 3), W 6 (Albrecht 4). Blocks: J 2 (Peterson, Buchanan), W 1 (C. Differding). Fouls: J 23, W 27. Fouled out: W, Albrecht, Bumgarner, C. Differding. Turnovers: J 14, W 14.

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

Tags: sports, jays, basketball