Girls' Basketball

Highland 45, Twin Falls 14

TWIN FALLS - Highland held Twin Falls to zero points in the second quarter on its way to a 45-14 win Thursday at Twin Falls.

The Rams outscored the Bruins 11-0 in the second quarter to take a 21-8 lead into halftime. Twin Falls then scored two and four points in the final two periods, respectively. Highland forced 28 turnovers, while Twin Falls' 14 points were the lowest by a Rams opponent this year.

"We played great defense throughout the whole game," Highland coach Scott Hansen said.

Breanne Van Every led the Rams with eight points. Highland (13-0, 4-0 5A District 4, 5, 6) will take a break before traveling to play Idaho Falls on Jan. 8.

North Gem 50, Cokeville 42

BANCROFT - The North Gem girls' basketball team cruised past Cokeville 50-42 on Thursday.

With the win, the Cowboys improved to 5-4 before taking on Leadore today.

"We just came out hot," North Gem coach Corry Hatch said. "The defense was good and the rebounding was there. It's amazing what happens when you execute your offense. That's all we did. We got open looks and made them."

That allowed Bailey Simmons to score 17 points, Natalie Simons to score 11 points and Aspen Holbrook to drop in eight points.

Hatch said he was particularly proud of Simmons' play.

"She was under the weather and made some big shots for us," he said.

Grace 42, Bear Lake 39

MONTPELLIER - Bear Lake missed a game-tieing 3-pointer with 8 seconds on the clock to lose to Grace, 42-39 Thursday.

"It was a defensive battle," said Bear Lake coach Jim Mattson. "We had our chances at the end, but we came up short."

Plagued by injuries, Bear Lake was short-handed. Sophomore Kayla Wallentine stepped up though with 15 points. Heather Wallentine contributed 10.

"Kayla has been pretty consistent," Mattson said. "Heather shot the ball well for us."

Bear Lake (3-7) next travels to Preston on Saturday.

Hillcrest 50, Pocatello 29

IDAHO FALLS - Pocatello scored just two first-quarter points and dropped a 50-29 decision at Hillcrest on Thursday.

Hillcrest led 18-2 after the opening period and outsored Poky in all but one quarter. Brenna Brigham led the Indians with 16 points.

Pocatello dropped to 1-11.

Boys' Basketball

Grace 61, North Fremont 51

GRACE - The Grace boys' basketball team upended North Fremont 61-51 on Thursday.

Cody Christensen led the Grizzlies with 18 points, Sam Corbitt added 15 and Todd Lloyd put in 13.

Together, they gave Grace an easy victory in which it only trailed for a few early possessions.

"We played great team defense and that kinda carried us throughout the game," coach Rory Lloyd said. "The kids played well together."

With the win, Grace improved to 3-3. It next faces Ririe on Saturday.

North Gem 45, Cokeville 34

BANCROFT - Tayson Smith didn't score a single point for the North Gem boys' basketball team on Thursday, but coach Ken Christensen said he was the MVP of the Cowboys' 45-34 win over Cokeville all the same.

"We held them (Cokeville) to four points in the fourth quarter, and he was the main reason why," Christensen said.

Up until that final quarter, North Gem led only 31-30, but behind a strong defensive push the Cowboys were able to win and improve to 2-4. They next play Butte County on Saturday.

Also helping North Gem along the way were Austin Wuttke, who scored eight points and snared 15 rebounds, and Shawn banks, who scored 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

Marsh Valley 67, Soda Springs 48

ARIMO - The Marsh Valley boys' basketball team stomped Soda Springs 67-48 on Thursday and improved to 5-1 on the season.

The Eagles next play at Buhl today, and if they continue to receive balanced scoring from their post players they should be fine.

Against the Cardinals, Dallin Bills scored 14 points, Nathan Gambles dropped in 11 and Richard Bitton and Chance Day each recorded 10.

"I think it was a pretty well-rounded scoring night from everyone," Marsh Valley coach Jason Brower said. "The kids were all pretty active."

Wrestling

American Falls 66, Sugar-Salem 18;

American Falls 56, S. Fremont 24

ST. ANTHONY - American Falls won duals against Sugar-Salem and South Fremont on Wednesday night at the South Fremont quad duals. American Falls (4-0) defeated Sugar-Salem 66-18 with the help of seven pins, and it then topped South Fremont 56-24 behind seven pins and one technical fall.

Beavers coach Jim Giulio praised the efforts of 152-pounder Calvin Call, who scored a 16-1 technical fall against South Fremont's Mario Benitez and had a forfeit in the other dual.

"He's really coming into his own," Giulio said. "He's working extremely hard, and he's getting better each time out."

Giulio also lauded 215-pounder Carlos Medel for securing two pins. Medel finished fourth at the state tournament last year in the same weight class.

American Falls next travels to the wrestle in the Bonneville Duals on Friday and Saturday.