Lady Grizzly Basketball and Wrestlers Have A Good Week

Last week was one of the busiest sports weeks of the year.  Our local varsity teams took part in sixteen different games or tournaments.  Of all of the schools and teams in action none could match the success that the ladies from Grace had last week.  Between the Lady Grizzlies basketball and wrestling teams you would be hard pressed to find another school in the state that enjoyed as many wins as they did.  The Lady Grizzly wrestlers attended the Madison Girls Invitational in Rexburg where they finished in fourth place as a team only getting beat by three 5A schools.  In addition to their impressive team score the Lady Grizzlies earned three first place finishes and one second place finish.  Meanwhile the Lady Grizzlies basketball team were a perfect 3-0 on the week picking up wins over 3A Soda Springs, a very good Rich County team out of Utah and a solid Murtaugh team out of the fourth district. 

Skyla Cloud earned a first place finish in her weight class at the Madison Invite. (Photo Credit Crystal Peterson)

Bella Eddins claimed the top spot in her weight class in last weeks Madison Invite in Rexburg. (Photo Credit Megan Eddins)

  The Lady Grizzlies started their phenomenal week with the basketball team hosting their cross county rivals the Soda Springs Lady Cardinals on Wednesday.  This was also the Lady Grizzlies senior night where they celebrated their five senior players as well as their manager.  As for the game itself the Lady Grizzlies were able to grab the early lead and hold onto it throughout the game.  The normally effective Lady Cardinal press did not phase the prepared Lady Grizzlies who knew it would be coming.  After breaking the press Grace used a very balanced attack on offense with several girls getting in on the action.  With the good ball skills of Stoddard and Steadman along with their outside shooting combined with the inside game of Yost and the jump shot capabilities of Jorgensen and Rasmussen the Lady Grizzlies seemed to control the game.  On defense their size controlled the paint while the guards kept relentless pressure on the ball.  Grace came away with a ten point win in their first game of the week.  Next up for the Lady Grizzlies was the Rich County Lady Rebels.  The Lady Rebels are one of Utah’s top small school teams and a formidable opponent.  The final score would not be a good representation of how competitive the game actually was.  Once again the Lady Grizzlies would find success by spreading the ball around.  By the halftime break Grace had built a seven point lead.  In the third quarter senior Tessica Jorgensen took over the game.  Jorgensen popped off for nine points in the quarter which was two more than the entire Lady Rebel team had in the same span.  Jorgensen would add three more points in the fourth quarter as the Lady Grizzlies ended up winning that game pulling away.  In their final game of the week the Lady Grizzlies faced the Lady Red Devils from Murtaugh who seem to always have a solid team.  This week however they would be no match for the red hot Lady Grizzlies.  Grace actually got off to a bit of a slow start in this game and trailed at the end of the first quarter by a single point.  Then the Lady Grizzlies dynamic duo of Yost and Jorgensen took over.  Over the next two quarters the two girls would put up a combined seventeen points while the Lady Grizzlies defense would hold Murtaugh to just eight points during that same span.  Grace would do enough in the fourth quarter to extend their lead and win the game in convincing fashion.

While the basketball team was on the hardwood four Lady Grizzly wrestlers were going to work on the mats.  Each of the four girls were awarded first round byes placing them in the quarter finals.  Over the next two rounds each girl dominated their opponents winning in most cases by fall.  All four of the Lady Grizzlies competing made it to the championship bout with three of the four coming away victorious.  Here is how each girl did in her bracket.

Adeline Clark (100 lbs) quarterfinal match won by fall over Juarez from Burley in 1:21

Semifinal match won by major decision over Overton from South Fremont 15-7

First place match lost by fall to Messerli from West Jefferson in 0:36

Hayden Ball (115 lbs) quarterfinal match won by fall over Jacobsen from SF in 1:10

Semifinal match won by medical forfeit over Zollinger from Skyline

First Place match won by fall over Gardner from Blackfoot in 1:24

Bella Eddins (125 lbs) quarterfinal match won by fall over Galvez from Skyline in 1:32

Semifinal match won by medical forfeit over Gonzales from Butte Central

First place match won by fall over Cureton from Sugar Salem in 1:13

Skyla Cloud (155 lbs) quarterfinal match won by fall over Hansen from Madison in 1:55

Semifinal match won by fall over Dierenfeldt from Idaho Falls in 0:59

First place match won by fall over Banks from Challis in 4:50

Grizzlies 16 15 15 20 66

Cardinals 11 16 11 18 56

K. Stoddard 12, K. Mansfield 10, A. Rasmussen 4, P. Steadman 14, C. Yost 18, T. Jorgensen 6, P. Hatch 2

Grizzlies 13 10 13 17 53

Rebels 9 7 7 8 31

K. Stoddard 8, A. King 2, K. Mansfield 6, P. Steadman 9, C. Yost 10, A. Cooper 2, T. Jorgensen 14, P. Hatch 2

Grizzlies 7 14 10 10 41

Red Devils 8 3 5 7 23

K. Stoddard 4, P. Steadman 3, C. Yost 15, A. Cooper 3, T. Jorgensen 14, M. Straatman 2