Girls' basketball

Highland 59, Idaho Falls 37

IDAHO FALLS - Highland beat Idaho Falls in its first game after the holidays to remain undefeated at 14-0.

Highland outscored Idaho Falls 19-8 in the first quarter and went on to win 59-37.

"We didn't play as well defensively, but offensively, we played as well as we have all season," Highland coach Scott Hansen said. "I'm real happy with how we played."

Jordan Holman led Highland with 14 points, and was 7-for-8. The Rams got some help from the bench as well with everyone scoring.

"It's good to see where we're getting points from people coming off our bench," Hansen said. "They work hard and play even harder when it's time for a game."

Highland (14-0, 5-0) next plays at Hillcrestm Wednesday.

North Gem 70, Sho-Ban 38

BANCROFT - Both the North Gem and Sho-Ban girls' basketball teams opened their game Thursday with full-court pressure defense.

The strategy worked much better for the Cowboys, though, in their 70-38 win.

"The bottom line," said North Gem coach Corry Hatch, "is we're faster, and we put the ball in the hole."

The Cowboys built a 43-26 halftime lead and then buried the Chiefs in the third quarter by outscoring them 19-4 in the frame.

Three North Gem players scored in double figures, with Kirsti Christensen leading the way with 19 points. Aspen Holbrook added 16, while Natalie Simons pitched in with 11.

"We had a talk before the game that there are certain players who aren't responsible for scoring all our points," Hatch said. "It was nice to see other people step up and score a little."

The Cowboys are now 8-5 on the season, and they'll face a difficult test Saturday when No. 1-ranked Richfield comes to town for a 4:30 p.m. tilt.

Soda Springs 44, Grace 28

SODA SPRINGS - Soda Springs held the lead the entire game and beat Grace 44-28 Thursday.

"In the second half, we picked up the defensive intensity and held them to one free throw in the third," said Soda Springs coach Wade Schvaneveldt. "Holding them to 8 points in the second half was the difference in the game."

Paige Anderson led the Cardinals with 12 points and Kim Ward added 8.

Grace was led my Michelle Burton with 12 points.

Soda Springs remaines undefeated at 14-0, and next travels to Butte County on Saturday.

Bonneville 60, Preston 46

PRESTON - The Preston girls' basketball team launched a spirited third-quarter comeback but still lost to Bonneville 60-46 at home Thursday.

The Indians trailed 31-17 at halftime but outscored Bonneville 25-17 in the third quarter. Preston tied the game at 40-40 with about two minutes remaining in the quarter, but Bonneville pulled away in the fourth.

"We kind of hit a wall," Preston coach Ryon Pope said. "It was closer than 14 points would indicate. I was proud."

Holly Checketts and Marssi Daniels combinde for 23 points in the third quarter. Checketts finished with 24 points and Daniels with 11.

Preston (9-5) next travels to Shelley on Saturday.

Boys' basketball

Mackay 63, Rockland 49

ROCKLAND - A poor third quarter doomed the Rockland boys' basketball team in its 63-49 loss to Mackay on Thursday.

After the Bulldogs trailed only 26-25 at the half, the Miners went on a 26-4 burst in the third to prevail in the 1A Division II Rocky Mountain Conference showdown.

"We came out asleep and didn't make a basket," said Rockland coach Dan Ralphs. "They got several fastbreaks on us, and that hurt us big-time in the third quarter. We had to work hard to fight back into it."

Matt Nelson led the Bulldogs (1-5, 0-1) with 16 points, and Jake Spillett added 12. Rockland next will play Wednesday at North Gem.

Sho-Ban 69, Hansen 54

FORT HALL - Magic Smith scored 41 points, including 16 of Sho-Ban's 17 third-quarter points, in a 69-54 home win over Hansen on Thursday. Hansen was ranked fourth in the state in the latest polls.

Sho-Ban led 36-21 to begin the second half, and Smith's efforts helped Sho-Ban put Hansen away. Smith also grabbed 17 rebounds and tallied nine steals and four assists.

"He took over in the third quarter," Smith said. "I didn't think he'd get that much."

Lonzo Coby added 16 points. He hit four 3-pointers and has nine in the past two games.

Sho-Ban (7-2, 2-1 1A Fifth District) next travels to Shoshone on Tuesday. The Chiefs also travel to Castleford on Thursday and to Hansen on Saturday.