Kuna loss ends Lady Tigers' season

The basketball season ended for the Mountain Home Lady Tigers last Tuesday night at Kuna with a 51-34 District III 4A loss to Kuna.

It started well enough, with two quick baskets by Madi Karst to give the Lady Tigers a 4-0 lead in the first 30 seconds of the game, and, with Jacci Cristobal's runner with just under seven minutes to play in the first quarter, Mountain Home led 6-3.

But high school basketball is a 32-minute game and to be successful it is important not to have lulls in scoring. If you do, you must not let the other team keep scoring.

After Cristobal's basket, Mountain Home did not score again until 34.5 seconds remained in the quarter, when Cristobal scored and was fouled and made the free throw to stop a 10-0 Kuna run and cut Kuna's lead to 13-9. Kuna led 15-11 after a quarter.

After Kuna hit a trey to start the second quarter and push its lead to 18-11, Whitney Sandberg scored to cut it to 18-13, with 6:52 left in the half. Mountain Home's next field goal did not happen until Tracey Gordon scored with three seconds left in the quarter. Mountain Home's only other point in the quarter was a free throw by Sandberg at the 2:34 mark. Nine second-quarter turnovers helped Kuna build its lead to 34-16 at the half.

Mountain Home scored the first four points of the third quarter to cut the deficit to 14, at 34-20, but could come no closer.

Kuna led 42-26 after three and stretched its lead to 50-30 in the fourth before the Lady Tigers closed the gap a bit to make it a 51-34 final.

"We started out well, with a lot of energy, but again struggled to score the ball," said Lady Tiger Coach Brent Keener. "Kuna shot really well in the first half and we just dug ourselves a hole we couldn't get out of. Not having Mattie Bennett was obviously a huge loss going into district."

Madi Karst led the scoring for Mountain Home with ten points. Whitney Sandberg added nine, Sable Lohmeier six, Jacci Cristobal five and Tracey Gordon four. The Lady finish 5-17 on the season.

"Even though we didn't have a great won-loss record, this group was one of the most enjoyable groups I've had in all my years -- great kids with great attitudes," said Coach Keener.

"We are really going to miss this year's seniors and want to thank them for all the time they've committed to basketball the last four years."

Coach Keener loses five seniors to graduation and has four players returning, three that saw a lot of action. This year's JV squad showed a lot of improvement over the course of the season, although wins were few and far between, but Keener believes there is reason to hope for the future.

"There is some hope for the future, but we're going to have to get a huge commitment in the off-season and summer to have success next year. Our league is only gong to be tougher by getting smaller. The usual powers like Bishop Kelly, Middleton and Skyview will be back."