Friday’s game
GIRLS
St. John High School 39,
Cunningham 18
CUNNINGHAM (0-5)
Kelsey Rick 2 0-0 4, Baleigh Meeyers 3 1-3 7, Lissy Albers 0 0-0 0, M. Stapelton 0 0-0 00, Hali Laws 0 0-1 0, Brooke Kerschen 1 1-2 3, Allie Cochran 1 2-4 4, T. Shearer 0 0-0 0, P. Freund 0 0-0 0. Totals 7 4-10 18.
ST. JOHN (5-0)
Tia Smith 0 0-0 0, Jessie Hanson 0 1-2 1, Haley Falk 0 1-2 1, Morgan Osborne 1 0-0 3, Jamie Waters 6 0-0 14, Rhian Collins 1 0-0 2, Maddy Lippoldt 0 0-0 0, Alexis Witt 2 0-2 4, Kory Willinger 0 0-0 0, Teresa Wade 4 4-7 12, Kenrda Hacker 0 1-2 1, Desiree Hall 0 1-2 1. Totals 14 8-17 39.
Cunningham 6 2 3 7 — 18
St. John 9 14 10 15 — 39
Three-point goals — St. John 3 (Waters 2, Osborne 1); Cunningham (None).
ST. JOHN — Cunningham hung around and hung around against St. John in girls high school basketball action on Friday night.
At least for three quarters, anyway.
In the end, though, the inside-outside combination of St. John post player Teresa Wade and wing shooter Jamie Walters was too much to overcome.
The duo combined for 26 points, as Class 1A No. 2-ranked St. John pulled away with a 15-7 run in the fourth quarter for a 39-18 win over the Lady Wildcats.
Walters scored a game-high 14 points, scoring five points in the first and third quarters, and Wade scored seven of her 12 points in the fourth quarter, including 3-for-5 at the free-throw line and a pair of short-range baskets.
Cunningham closed to 26-15 with 6:13 left in the fourth quarter after Bayleigh Meyers scored off a baseline drive.
But that’s as close as the visitors would get. Wade converted 4 of 6 free throws, Morgan Osborne nailed a 3-pointer and Waters had another basket during a 9-3 run, which swelled the gap to 35-18 with three minutes left.
In a turnover-filled opening half, St. John grabbed a 9-6 lead after one quarter and lugged a 14-8 edge into intermission.
Cunningham committed nine turnovers in the opening eight minutes and had 13 by halftime. But the Tigers were unable to pull away.
Waters scored seven first-half points for St. John, including a 3-pointer with 3:37 left in the first period, giving the Tigers a 9-3 lead.
Cunningham chopped the margin in half at 9-6 after Allie Cochran made the first of two free throws and Meyers scored a layup off a backdoor cut.
Waters added a hanging bank shot at the 6:42 mark for the Tigers’ initial points of the second period, building their lead to 11-6. Trouble was, it was their only field goal of the second period.
Wade later converted two free throws for the final points of the half, making it a six-point game.
St. John later extended its lead to 24-11 with 27 seconds left in the period on Waters’ 3-pointer from the right wing.
Cunningham, which managed just three third-quarter points, failed to penetrate the Tigers defense most of the game, content on rotating the ball around the perimeter and trying not to turn the ball over.
