The Juneau-Douglas girls basketball team lost its starting point guard on Thursday but won the game.
Starting guard Kallen Hoover left just three minutes into Thursday’s contest against Soldotna after suffering a broken nose, head coach Lesslie Knight said, following the Crimson Bears 44-41 victory over the Stars during the first round of the Kenai River Challenge at Kenai High School.
With only eight players making the trip due to budget cuts, each player had little choice but to do extra in order to replace their floor leader. Some big help came from an unexpected place.
Freshman point guard Erica Hurtte led JDHS in scoring with 11 points in her high school basketball debut, with six coming in the final quarter.
“We have three freshmen in our top eight,” Knight said of her young but hungry team. “We rely a lot on Kallen (Hoover) for direction, and we need others to step up.
Knight said Hoover didn’t want to be pulled from the game, and provided she didn’t suffer a concussion Hoover may return today against Nikiski at 5 p.m.
The JDHS coach credited ball handling and solid defense as the difference in Thursday’s contest, which led to a 30-21 lead at half.
“They learned to be patient … and to take care of the ball,” Knight said. “It was good learning for them. Initially, we jumped on them, got a few steals and finished the layups.”
Knight said maintaining the lead was a challenge for last year’s team. It proved a challenge again Thursday, but JDHS kept its lead until the buzzer sounded.
“Historically, we’ve gotten up at times and haven’t been able to maintain that lead,” she said.
Soldotna outscored JDHS 20-14 in the second half but the Crimson Bears continued attacking the basket, taking them to the free throw line 25 times and converting on 14. Two of Soldotna’s starters fouled out, including the Stars’ lead scorer Lindsey Wong who had 14 on the night, and a third Soldotna player was one foul away from exiting.
Knight liked what she saw from her freshman players, which also included guard Alyxn Bohulano (five points) and forward Caitlin Pusich (four points). Also returning to the starting lineup after missing most of last season due to an ACL tear was sophomore forward Cassie Dzinich (four points), and senior forward Tona Fogg added seven points to the team effort. Junior wing Georgia Robinson scored two, as did Hoover.
Every JDHS player found their way into the scorebook, but Knight said success this season will come down to defense. “That will be our bread-and-butter.”
