Baker, Thayne guide Highland to win against Pocatello

{child_byline}By Michael Guise

mguise@journalnet.com {/child_byline}

POCATELLO — Highland’s dynamic duo shined in Friday’s crosstown rivalry game against Pocatello.

Makenna Baker and Allie Thayne combined to score 39 points in the Rams’ 61-46 home win against the Indians. Baker tallied nine of her points in the second quarter to help the Rams pull ahead, and Thayne chipped in eight fourth-quarter points to close the door on Pocatello’s rally.

{blockquote class=”twitter-video” data-lang=”en”}{p lang=”en” xml:lang=”en” dir=”ltr”}Halftime: Highland 28, Pocatello 19. Allie Thayne and Makenna Baker combined for 13 points in the quarter. #idpreps pic.twitter.com/kT4GzOP222

— Michael Guise (@Michael_Guise) January 13, 2018{/blockquote}

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“That is quite the one-two punch,” Pocatello coach Brock Gunter said. “We try to focus on Baker and stop her. ... We lost Thayne. She does a good job of getting open. They are tough to stop. They have a good combination there.”

Thayne shined in the fourth quarter as Pocatello (6-10, 3-4 4A District 5-6) slowly chipped away at the Rams’ lead. Highland (12-6, 4-2 5A District 5-6) led 52-34 with just over four minutes remaining in the game, but the Indians closed their deficit to 10 points with 1:39 remaining.

The Indians never got within single digits, thanks to Baker knocking down four free throws in the final minutes to slow the surging Indians, who relied on Kate Jackman to bring them back in the game. The senior scored 14 points, six of which came in the final frame.

“She was aggressive,” Gunter said of Jackman. “She started attacking the basket. I really liked the way she played tonight. That is what we need from her.”

After the squads went into the second quarter tied 11-11, the tide turned when the Rams deployed their 1-3-1 zone defense. The pressure-focused defense was too much for the Indians to handle, resulting in five second-quarter turnovers. The Rams swarmed and used their size to shrink the passing lanes.

The Indians also shot 3 of 8 in the frame and went into halftime trailing 28-19.

“The girls love the 1-3-1,” Highland coach Tony Green said. “I’m not really a zone guy, so I have to let myself run it. ... They work hard in it and commit to it. They sprinted to where they were supposed to be while the ball was in the air. That was a big difference.”

As Highland picked up its defensive intensity in the second quarter, Baker got the Rams rolling offensively.

She tallied the Rams’ first nine points in the quarter, setting the tone before getting her teammates involved. The Indians tried multiple defenders on Baker, who was too quick for the visiting team. In two games against Pocatello this season, Baker has 39 points.

{blockquote class=”twitter-video” data-lang=”en”}{p lang=”en” xml:lang=”en” dir=”ltr”}Highland 20, Pocatello 14 with 4:32 left in 2Q. Makenna Baker has 9 points in the second frame. #idpreps pic.twitter.com/6olNsGUDNo

— Michael Guise (@Michael_Guise) January 13, 2018{/blockquote}

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“It’s great to have a point guard that can see the whole floor,” Thayne said of Baker. “She can run, score points, steal the ball. She is incredible and the best navigator we have. She is the essence of a point guard.”

Despite shooting 43 percent from the field, Friday’s loss was the Indians’ second consecutive defeat after their three-game winning streak.

{blockquote class=”twitter-video” data-lang=”en”}{p lang=”en” xml:lang=”en” dir=”ltr”}Highland 36, Pocatello 21 with 3:51 left in 3Q. Lexi Rowe extends the Rams’ lead. #idpreps pic.twitter.com/eie48ExGDT

— Michael Guise (@Michael_Guise) January 13, 2018{/blockquote}

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In the first and fourth quarters, Pocatello combined to shoot 10 of 17, but shot a combined 7 of 23 in the second and third quarters. For the game, Highland shot 45.5 percent from the field.

“They put a lot of pressure on us,” Gunter said. “We had a hard time beating that zone. We stand too much. We didn’t move. We couldn’t get shots.”

{blockquote class=”twitter-video” data-lang=”en”}{p lang=”en” xml:lang=”en” dir=”ltr”}Pocatello leads Highland 9-5 with just over 3 min left in 1Q after Abby Pearson’s bucket. #idpreps pic.twitter.com/arH4Fo7Brd

— Michael Guise (@Michael_Guise) January 13, 2018{/blockquote}

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{child_related_content}{child_related_content_item}{child_related_content_style}Bio Box{/child_related_content_style}{child_related_content_title}HIGHLAND 61, POCATELLO 46{/child_related_content_title}{child_related_content_content}

Pocatello 11 8 8 19 — 46

Highland 11 17 14 19 — 61

Pocatello (46) Adison Spillett 6, Angelina Pierce 1, Abigail Pearson 4, Kate Jackman 13, Sally Mettinger 8, Destiny Harris 14.

Highland (61) Mallori Vawdrey 2, Makenna Baker 22, Mary Calley 5, Meghan Calley 4, Kimberly Hawes 4, Lexi Rowe 3, Maysi Thompson 2, Allie Thayne 17.

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