Lady Wolves Score Non-Conference Win Over Baker, 53-43

Between dealing with foul trouble and trying to slow down a determined Baker team, Wolf Point’s girls’ basketball squad had its hands full for most of the home contest on Friday, Feb. 4.

During the fourth quarter, good shot selection and solid defensive play carried the Lady Wolves to a 53-43 non-conference victory.

Ahead by only a 38-34 margin with a little more than five minutes to play, Wolf Point accounted for 13 of the game’s next 17 points. The senior guard combination of Josie Kolstad and Hamyanie Campbell produced nine of the points.

“They were pretty patient and found something,” Coach Frank Benson said of the guard play. “We’re getting more patient.”

J’Elle Garfield got Wolf Point’s run started when the junior scored off a pass from Kolstad and then hit a turnaround shot for a 42-34 lead.

After Baker’s freshman Kyai Hadley scored on a drive with 4:11 remaining, Kolstad accounted for a three-point play with 3:19 left. Two drives by Campbell and an inside basket by Kolstad gave the Wolves a 49-38 cushion with 2:04 remaining. Campbell then tallied four more points to put the Wolves up by 14 points.

Wolf Point’s top scorers were Kolstad with 17, Campbell with 15 and Garfield with eight points.

Benson credited Garfield with delivering a solid game for the Wolves.

Also scoring were Sierra Hamilton with six, Kaylandra St. Marks with three, Katelyn MacDonald with two and Jaylee Azure with two.

Benson said Adeia Erickson did a good job rebounding off the bench.

Hadley scored 22 points for the Spartans. Anika Ploeger added eight points. The Wolves gained a 15-11 lead in the first quarter and increased the gap to 19-11 on hoops by Garfield and Azure to open the second period.

The Spartans battled back to trail by only a 22-20 margin at intermission.

Wolf Point scored the final five points of the third quarter on a free throw by Campbell, a basket off a rebound by Hamilton and a drive by Kolstad for a 34-26 advantage.