Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Wolves, Wolverettes fall to Hope on Friday

Prescott's Wolves and Wolverettes led the Hope Bobcats and Lady Cats most of the game, but not when it counted  at the end.

Both the Wolves and Wolverettes fell in close games against Hope. The Wolverettes opened the night with a 39-37 loss, while the Wolves dropped a 69-68 heartbreaker.

Wolverettes 37

Lady Cats 39

For more than 30 minutes the Wolverettes led the Hope Lady Cats, but were unable to hold the lead at the end and fell 39-37.

The game got underway with Hope tipping the ball out of bounds. However, the Lady Cats still scored first, hitting one of two free throws with 7:31 left in the first.

The Wolverettes attacked on defense and worked to force the ball inside on offense. Prescott's senior girls built a 14-6 lead, but suffered turnovers late allowing the Lady Cats to cut the lead to 14-10 as the first period came to an end.

Hope scored early in the second to make it 14-12, then both teams went cold. There was no scoring until the 4:48 mark of the quarter, when the squads swapped baskets.

Defense ruled in period two, as both teams were only able to score six points each. Halftime arrived with the Wolverettes leading 20-16.

The defensive struggled continued in the third quarter, as both offenses found it difficult to get open shots. Action in the paint was physically brutal.

The Wolverettes packed the paint on defense, only to see missed Lady Cat shots careen into the hands of Hope players. Still, the visitors were unable to convert their opportunities with any degree of regularity.

Period three came to an end with the Wolverettes clinging to a 27-25 lead.

The game's outcome was in doubt until the final buzzer, as the Wolverettes managed to lead the game until the 1:10 point of the fourth quarter.

Hope did manage to tie the game at 29-29 with 5:10 remaining, only to see Prescott pull away to a 32-29 lead.

With 1:53 showing, the Wolverette lead was 34-31. This advantage, though, evaporated when Hope took a 35-34 lead with 1:10 left in the contest.

The Wolverettes were at a disadvantage as the team had two fouls to give before Hope would be in the bonus and go to the free throw line. Prescott fouled the Lady Cats, putting the Hope players at the charity stripe, where the free throws were converted when it counted.

Still, the Wolverettes had a chance to win late, but missed a three-point shot with 12.8 seconds left.

The Wolverettes were perfect from the free throw line, hitting 13 of 13. Hope hit 11 of 19 at the charity stripe.

Prescott's Tammy Harris led all scorers with 25 points. Mary Delgado chipped in nine for Prescott.

Hope's Precious Thornton led the Lady Cats with 12. Sabrina Ford scored 11.

Wolves 68

Bobcats 69

Prescott jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first quarter, led most of the game, but fell 69-68 to the Hope Bobcats Friday night.

After taking the 5-0 lead, the Wolves saw the Cats respond with a 9-0 run. Prescott tied the score at 9-9 with 3:11 showing in the first.

Action got a bit strange in the last seven seconds as both teams attempted long shots as none of the players were apparently aware of how much time remained. Hope attempted a mid-court shot, while Prescott tried one the length of the court.

Period one ended with Hope leading 13-12.

The Wolves outscored the visitors 18-13 in the second quarter, taking control early and going up 20-15 with 5:09 left in the half. For most of the quarter, the Wolves out hustled the Cats. But, at one point, the Cats went on an 11-2 run before Prescott's senior boys battled back and took a 30-26 lead to the lockers at the break.

The third quarter saw plenty of action, with neither team able to gain much of an advantage. Still, the Wolves led throughout the frame. Prescott was able to build five point leads in the period, but couldn't keep the Cats at bay.

The third quarter ended with Prescott leading 51-46.

Hope scored the first four points in the final eight minutes to cut the Wolves's lead to 51-30. From there, the race was on.

Prescott fought to take a 62-59 lead with 3:10 left in the game, and was in the bonus with 2:57 showing.

Again, however, the 1:10 mark proved to be the turning point as the Cats took a 66-64 lead.

Prescott went cold from the line late, missing one of two, but cutting the Hope advantage to one at 66-65 with 36 seconds left.

The Wolves stymied the Cats on Hope's next possession and had the ball with 18.6 seconds remaining. Unfortunately, the Wolves threw the ball away, giving it back to Hope wit 14 ticks left in the game.

The Cats managed to score, giving Hope a four-point lead at 69-65.

While fans were leaving the arena, the most exciting play of the night occurred. As the buzzer sounded, A.J. Lewis fired a 70-foot shot, hitting nothing but net for the final 69-68 score.

Prescott was 17 of 24 from the free throw line, while Hope converted nine of 14.

Robert Malone led the Wolves with 19 points. Lewis was next with 18, while Ray Smith chipped in 14 and Luther Stueart fired in 10.

Leonard Mitchell was the game's leading scorer with 20 points for Hope. Justin Stuart was next with 17, while Jermaine Rudd and David Carrigan scored 13 each.