It was the champ vs. the new No. 1 as Eagle girls visited Timberline
The reigning 5A girls basketball state champion and the No. 1 team in the state this season faced off Thursday night.
No. 1 Timberline proved why it deserved that top billing with a 66-43 defeat of Eagle on the Wolves’ home court.
Earlier this season, Timberline (14-1) beat Eagle (8-7) 44-27, and it looked like Eagle would avoid the blowout this time. The Mustangs went on a 9-2 run at the end of the first quarter and tied the game at 14 with a 3-pointer by senior guard Betsey King. Timberline coach Andy Jones knew his team wasn’t playing its best basketball.
“We had some mental lapses in the second quarter,” Jones said. “We took shots with too much time left. We threw the ball away, and 30 seconds later let up a 3. We did not execute how we wanted, and they made us pay. We had to clean that up.”
Timberline cleaned up its play, and more. Senior guard Ava Ranson, who has committed to playing for Montana State in college, scored eight points in the last 2 minutes of the first half to put her team up 33-21. Ranson finished with 21 points.
“I was feeling pretty good,” Ranson said. “We have been working on our defense mostly, but it is always nice to see the ball go in the basket. We all love to see that.”
Ranson wasn’t the only Timberline player watching her shots go in. Sophomore post Sophia Glancey scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for a double-double, while the other starting post, senior Emma Ellinghouse, added 10 points and seven rebounds.
“They are a problem for other teams to match up with,” Jones said about his post players. “There’s no relief for the opponent. We really like our inside game and our size. They are tough to shoot over and they rebound. We like our post matchup with anybody.”
“We did a really good job executing tonight,” Glancey said. “The main thing was holding our position and staying low. We stayed strong and physical and I knew that I could handle that physicality.”
On the other side, King was the only player to score in double figures with 10 points. Eagle shot only 35.9% from the field and turned the ball over 15 times, leading to 16 points for Timberline.
The win extends Timberline’s streak to 10 games, and the team is finding its groove at the right time with only six games left until the district tournament starts.
“It’s January now,” Jones said. “It is time to start peaking as we head toward the tournaments. We are focusing on getting better every day, every practice and playing a little better every game as we get closer to tournament play.”
“We are really starting to get the feel of each other and play together as a team,” Glancey said. “We are going to start playing our best games here soon and I’m really excited.”
Timberline finished third at the state tournament last year, but has its sights set higher this year.
“We are as focused now as we have ever been,” Ranson said. “We are ready to take on the challenge of any team that comes at us.”
