dthompson@journalnet.com

POCATELLO - The final seconds of the third quarter ticked away, and Blackfoot's Whitney Fuller heaved a shot from midcourt.

Without leaping or seemingly much effort at all, Highland junior Taylor Wilkinson put her hand up and knocked the ball to the floor. She made it look easy.

So did the rest of the 5A Rams, who topped the visiting 4A Broncos 45-25 on Friday afternoon at Highland High in both teams' season openers.

"We're happy with a first-game win," Highland coach Scott Hansen said. "I thought we played with some jitters … but they played a lot better in the second quarter."

Neither team took particularly good care of the basketball, and they struggled to score early. Blackfoot took a 2-0 lead with 5:06 left in the first quarter, and Highland didn't score until 30 seconds later.

But Highland shut out Blackfoot 15-0 in the second frame to put the game out of reach. Senior post Breanne Van Every led the Rams with 14 points, and senior Kylie Hardison added 10 more.

"We played aggressively," Van Every said. "But we also played out of control at times."

Still, Highland was able to give its reserve players plenty of time on the court, especially with the absence of injured senior post Emma Filiaga. Hansen hopes to have her back Wednesday, when the Rams host 4A Hillcrest.

Junior Steeli Norton started in her place, and the team's other two juniors and three sophomores played extensively.

"They did pretty well, had some steals," Hardison said of the reserve players. "They hustle for sure. That's what I like about them."

Wilkinson came off the bench to score eight points, and sophomore Kenzie Adams added five. Those two combined to make 7-of-9 free-throw attempts, and as a team the Rams shot 9-of-12 from the line.

Junior Katie Despain led Blackfoot with seven points, senior Nicole Leslie had six and juniors Olivia Gardner and Bailey Brown each added five points.

Highland 45, Blackfoot 25

Blackfoot 8 0 7 10 - 25

Highland 10 15 12 8 - 45

Blackfoot: Bailey Brown 2 0-0 5, Olivia Gardner 2 0-0 5, Nicole Leslie 2 2-2 6, Katie Despain 3 0-0 7, Bobbi Jo Jones 1 0-0 2, Lindsay Hunt 0 0-2 0. Totals 10 2-4 25.

Highland: Breanne Van Every 6 2-2 14, Jordan Holman 3 0-0 6, Taryn Harding 0 0-1 0, Kylie Hardison 5 0-0 10, Sara Rominger 1 0-0 2, Taylor Wilkinson 2 4-6 8, Kenzie Adams 1 3-3 5, Steeli Norton 0 0-0 0, Kelsey Belnap 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 9-12 45.