Bearcubs Outscore Lustre, 69-66
Frazer’s eighth-grader Bri-Anna Beston accounted for 36 points in the team’s 69-66 opening-round District 3C tournament victory over Lustre, but her most important points came in the contest’s final minute.
Lustre’s Lauryn Holzrichter, who scored a career- high 37 points, led the Lions’ comeback with seven straight points late to pull Lustre to 66-65 with a minute to play.
It was here that Beston fired in a three-pointer to give the Bearcubs a more comfortable 69-65 advantage with only 22 seconds left.
Lustre’s Jaden Gibson made a free throw with five seconds left, but the Lions couldn’t come closer than 69-66.
After Beston’s 36 points, the Bearcubs were led by 13 points by Maci Fourstar-Sibley, Isabelle Fourstar with nine and Baily Beston with eight points. Also scoring were Lola Romero with two and Audrey Smoker with two points.
Reaching double figures for Lustre were Holzrichter with 37 and Hannah Brown with 10. Rounding out the scoring were Samantha Neufeld with eight, Jaden Gibson with five, Sidney Klatt with three and Lauren Fast with three.
Using full-court defensive pressure, the Bearcubs jumped out to a 10-2 lead and held a 21-11 advantage at the end of the third quarter.
Frazer’s Fourstar hit a three-pointer to put the Bearcubs ahead 30-14 midway into the second quarter, but Lustre’s Brown tallied the game’s next three points. A three-pointer by Holzrichter and a layup by Gibson helped Lustre close the margin to 4128 at the half.
The Lions, playing without standout Kencia Brown due to an injury, used the scoring of Holzrichter, Klatt and Fast to battle back to 55-51 in the third quarter.
After the Lions cut the gap to 59-55 on baskets by Gibson and H. Brown in the fourth quarter, Frazer responded with a hoop by Baily Beston and a three-pointer by BriaAnna Beston to take a 64-55 lead with 4:31 left.
