Weiser drops district game to McCall-Donnelly

On Saturday, Feb. 8, the Lady Weiser Wolverines hosted the McCall-Donnelly Vandals in the second round of the SRV district tournament. They had met earlier in the week, concluding the regular season on Tuesday. The Wolverines had a bye for the first round while the Vandals faced Payette on Thursday. With their win, McCall advanced to play Weiser on Saturday.

 The teams were evenly matched throughout the first half, but McCall began to pull away, establishing a 7-point lead by the end of the third period. They finished the game holding Weiser to 33 points while scoring 43 themselves.

 With this victory, the Vandals advanced to the SRV District Championship, where they will face Fruitland. The win also secured them a spot in the Idaho 4A State Tournament. 

 Meanwhile, the Wolverines are on a long journey to earn an entry into the state tournament. Now Weiser must win two additional SRV district games to advance to the State Play-in game on Saturday, Feb. 15.

 In the opening seconds of the contest, Weiser won the tip-off and quickly converted it into points with a rebound kick out to Ellie Shirts for a 3-pointer at the top of the arc. McCall then scored 8 unanswered points over the next five minutes. Weiser struck again when Shirts made a skip pass to Evie Dolton, who executed a smooth baseline jumper for 2 points.

 About 90 seconds later, the Wolverines tied the game at 8-all with a pass from Kailee Lerew to Alyvia Goff, who made a 3-pointer near the top of the key. The first quarter ended tied at 8.

 McCall took a 2-point lead early in the second quarter, but Lerew quickly tied the game again with a drive to the basket, faking a pass outside before going up for an open lay-in. Both teams battled fiercely, transitioning quickly from defense to offense and adding points. As the teams headed into the locker room, the Wolverines were ahead 21 to 19, thanks to Hailey Eames, who assisted Dolton for a 3-pointer in the corner, and Shirts, who scored with a hook shot outside the key. Dolton also assisted Lerew for a 3-pointer, and Eames contributed with a rebound putback.

 McCall struck first with a 3-pointer at the start of the third quarter. Weiser’s first points of the period came two minutes in when Lerew executed a baseline drive, finishing with a reverse lay-in. Despite the Wolverines’ efforts, they struggled to score until just over a minute remained, when Eames made two free throws and soon afterward with a nice move on the block for 2 in the key.

 At the end of the third quarter, the score was Weiser 27, McCall 34. 

 The Vandals scored first at the start of the final period, and it wasn’t until 4:30 remained in the game that the Wolverines scored again, as Eames found Dolton open in the middle of the key for 2 points. Ninety seconds later, Lerew and Goff connected on a give-and-go play, with Lerew finishing with another reverse lay-in, reducing the deficit to 5 points.

 With 35 seconds remaining, Sophia Shirts scored for Weiser with a baseline jumper. Unable to close the gap, the Wolverines ultimately lost by 10 points, finishing at 33 to 43.

 Lerew put in a strong defensive performance, racking up 6 steals, including several instances where she stripped the ball from a Vandal under the rim. She also contributed 9 points. Dolton worked hard under the basket, gathering 10 rebounds, and scoring 7 points. Eames was tasked with guarding McCall’s 6’1” post, secured 11 hard-earned rebounds, and scored 6 points. Ellie Shirts added 8 rebounds and 6 points, while Goff contributed 3 points, and Sophia Shirts and Jordan Stromberg with 2 points each.

 Scores at the end of quarters:

Weiser McCall

1st: 8 8

2nd: 21 19

3rd: 27 34

4th: 33 43