Girls' basketball

Richfield 46, North Gem 33

BANCROFT - North Gem could not overcome a slow start and fell 46-33 at home against Richfield on Saturday.

The Cowboys trailed 15-3 after one quarter. They twice cut the deficit to five but couldn't come back all the way.

"We came out flat, real flat," North Gem coach Corry Hatch said. "Aside from our slow start, we actually matched them pretty well."

Aspen Holbrook and Natalie Simons each scored eight points to pace North Gem. The Cowboys (8-6) next travel to play Aberdeen on Wednesday.

Rockland 43, Leadore 40

LEADORE - Whitney Woodworth hit several crucial free throws down the stretch to help Rockland overcome a slow start and beat Leadore 43-40 on the road Saturday.

Rockland trailed 14-4 after the first quarter, but Woodworth, who led all scorers with 22 points, helped the Bulldogs inch back into contention. Woodworth then shot 4-for-4 from the foul line in the final 30 seconds to help Rockland pull ahead.

"The kids didn't give up," Rockland coach Vern Nelson said. "They chipped away a little at a time and crawled back in."

Rockland (6-6, 1-1 1A Fifth District) next hosts Mackay on Thursday.

Preston 57, Shelley 42

SHELLEY - Preston hammered Shelley with a fast start to pull out a 57-42 road win Saturday. Preston led 27-14 at halftime and never let Shelley back in the game.

"We had a great first half defensively," Indians coach Ryon Pope said. "We played raelly consistent throughout."

Holly Checketts led the Indians with 22 points, while Marssi Daniels and Brooke Beckstead each chipped in 10.

Preston (10-5) next hosts Pocatello on Friday.

Boys' basketball

North Gem 62, Clark Country 37

BANCROFT - Taking advantage of the fact that Clark County was missing three starters, North Gem cruised to a 62-37 home win Saturday.

The Cowboys held Clark County to just five points in each of the second and third quarters. Austin Wuttke led North Gem with 17 points, while Taylor Starks had 12 points, nine rebounds, two steals and a block.

North Gem coach Ken Christensen didn't read too much into the game because of Clark County's depleted lineup.

North Gem improved to 3-7 overall and 1-1 in their conference.

Aberdeen 52, Firth 50

FIRTH - Wade Wahlen drove the length of the court in the final seven seconds and made a fadeaway layup to help Aberdeen edge Firth 52-50 on Saturday at Firth, in a matchup between the state's top two-ranked 2A schools. It was also Aberdeen's third game in three nights.

"It doesn't get any more dramatic than that," Aberdeen coach Quinn Aldous. "To get a win at Firth, you have to play your butt off."

Trevor Spence led the Tigers with 10 points, and he also held Colter Reeves, Firth's reigning 2A Player of the Year, to just one point. Still, the two teams traded scores all through the game, and Firth fittingly tied the game with seven seconds remaining by hitting a 3-pointer.

Wahlen then collected the inbounds pass and raced downcourt for the winning score.

"It was neck and neck the whole game," Aldous said. "They didn't get away from us, and we didn't get away from them."

Aberdeen (8-2) next hosts North Fremont on Tuesday.

West Side 39, Rich County (Utah) 31

DAYTON - West Side staged a fourth-quarter comeback to overcome Rich County (Utah) 39-31 at home Saturday.

The Pirates trailed 13-11 at halftime, but Tyler Bodily scored 10 second-half points to spark their offense. West Side then outscored Rich County 16-10 in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback.

"We just hit a couple of shots and gained confidence," West Side coach Tyler Brown said.

West Side (3-6) next travels to play Grace on Thursday.

Preston 42, Marsh Valley 40

ARIMO - Preston edged Marsh Valley 42-40 on Saturday at Marsh Valley.

Brayden Shepherd and Tyson Mendenhall scored 16 and 14 points, respecitvely, to lead Preston. Richard Bitten scored 11 points to lead Marsh Valley.

"Down the stretch, we had some opportunities to win and just didn't capitalize on them," Marsh Valley coach Jason Brower said. "Things just didn't go our way."

Marsh Valley (9-3) next travels to play American Falls on Thursday.