Twin Valley Wildcats v. Leland and Gray Rebels (Girls) 1/31/13

TOWNSHEND - The Twin Valley Wildcats put the Leland and Gray Rebels in the rear view mirror after a fourth quarter Rebel collapse Thursday, January 31.  With the 44-35 win, the 5-9 Wildcats capped off their three-game losing streak and ascended the rankings to eleventh place in Division III girls basketball.  The Rebels, who have lost four out of their last five contests however, have conversely dropped from first place to ninth in a matter of two weeks.

Nystrom guarding Molner

Right out of the gates, this looked to be a close game.  Junior Elizabeth Gallup made the first official basket of the night for the Rebels after four minutes of play followed by a fast break layup by senior captain Chelby Nystrom.  The Wildcats countered near the end of the quarter as junior Jordan Niles hit a three and went 2-2 at the free throw line.

Butler bringing ball up

The Wildcats entered the second quarter with an unsafe 7-5 lead.  All of a sudden, both teams broke out offensively and began making their shots.  Nystrom and freshman point guard Jordan Gouger broke out on the Rebels side while sophomore Colton Butler rallied for the Wildcats.  Sophomore Haley Buffum hit a three for the Rebels in the final minute of the first half to tie the score 19-19, but Butler countered with a buzzer-beating three of her own that gave the Wildcats the 22-19 lead by halftime.

Morrow with shot

The beginning of the second half started real drowsily.  It wasn't until three minutes in when Hannah Swanson made a layup to get the first basket of the half.  But after Swanson's shot, both teams reignited to teeter the score back and forth.  Senior captain Alex Morrow made a few put back shots but junior Sam Cunningham-Darrah made a remarkable fade away bank shot from fifteen feet away to tie the game 28-28 at the end of the third quarter.

Although Nystrom managed to give the Rebels the lead in the fourth quarter with a jumper, the Wildcats retaliated with an endless shooting spree.  Both Butler and senior captain Abbi Molner hit threes to lead the sixteen-point rally.  The Rebels offense only managed to score a contrasting seven points, not nearly enough to compete with the Wildcat's superior offense.

Referee

The Rebels twenty-four total turnovers and multiple missed offensive plays cost them in the 44-35 final score.  The most notable player of the game was Butler, who went 2-3 at the foul line and led the Wildcats with eleven total points.  However, much of the win is credited to Molner as well, who had a breakout rally in the fourth quarter that led the Wildcats to victory.

The Rebels' next game is against the 9-1 Proctor Phantoms, who are currently in first place for Division IV.  The game is scheduled for Tuesday, February 5 at 7:30.