James Valley Christian knocks off WR
By Kristan Krogman
It wasn’t as close as the final score indicated but it was an entertaining battle nonetheless, when the Tigers faced James Valley Christian at this year’s DWU Classic February 15.
JVC had the momentum in quarter one, scoring on jump shots and layups, offensive rebounds and three pointers. White River led 2-0 but quickly fell behind, though a three by Tre Iyotte midway through the quarter made it 9-10. A buzzer beater from about sixty feet back ended the quarter for JVC and they led 22-14.
Christian Bartlett brought a spark in second quarter play for White River, and he hit back to back baskets in a 12-4 run by the Tigers that tied the score at 26. White River was patient in the half court through first half play and their defense in quarter two limited JVC to just six points. An and one by Iyotte with 1:20 to go in the half returned the lead to White River and they led 30-28 at intermission.
JVC came out with an aggressive style in quarter three and it was more than White River could handle. JVC went hard to the basket early, drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line. They were six of seven from the line in just the first two minutes of the period. The Vikings extended their lead with a 9-0 run through the middle of the period and ended the quarter on a tough fade away jumper by Andrew Ulvestad that just beat the buzzer. Ulvestad, a 6’5” senior finished the night with a game high 24 points. JVC led 50-39 going into the final period of play.
White River hung tough in quarter four and the lead fluctuated for James Valley Christian. They led by ten on multiple occasions in the fourth, though White River trimmed the lead to four with six straight points, forcing JVC into a time out at 4:21. Untimely turnovers for White River saw the lead back up to ten only moments later. Justin Prue later hit a big three making it 55-59 as the Tigers refused to back down. Prue scored on an offensive tip in late in the game and with only eleven seconds to go, it was 59-62. Ulvestad hit two clutch free throws with 8.1 remaining, virtually sealing the win. Bartlett netted a three off a long rebound as time expired, making the final score 62-64.
Number two JVC improved to 17-1 (only loss to Ethan early in the year) on the season, while the number one Tigers went to 14-3.
Stats: Prue - 13 pts, 4 rebs; Iyotte - 15 pts, 1 reb; Burbank - 7 pts, 8 rebs; Tucker - 10 pts, 5 rebs; Folkers - 1 reb; Bartlett - 1 pts, 10 rebs; Morrison - 1 reb
Team: Turnovers - WR 12, JVC 5; field goals - WR 25/49, JVC 24/52; free throws - WR 6/10, JVC 13/19; rebounds - WR 31, JVC 26; assists - WR 5, JVC 13; steals - WR 3, JVC 8
Nathen Wedel, a 6’4” senior and Ulvestad make for an imposing Viking front court. They combined for 42 points and 15 rebounds Saturday night.
WR 14 30 39 62
JVC 22 28 50 64