Green's monster night lifts Grangeville girls over Moscow

Dec. 30—In a back-and-forth game, it usually comes down to the team that gets one final push before time expires.

On Friday, the Grangeville Bulldogs got the final push and downed the Moscow Bears 54-43 in a girls semifinal game in the Avista Holiday Tournament at the P1FCU Activity Center in Lewiston.

The Bulldogs basketball team built an early lead and survived a late-game surge by the Bears to clinch their spot in the final.

Here's how Friday's girls semifinal contest played out:

'Green' light to score

Madalyn Green finished the game with a 25-point, 11-rebound double-double for Grangeville (9-1) and, for the first half, she was practically automatic.

Through the first quarter, the Bulldogs led Moscow 15-5. Green accounted for 13 of Grangeville's points.

The Bulldogs were able to build the double-digit lead over the Bears (6-5) with a staunch full-court press and also used the size advantage of their guards to jump in passing lanes and create turnovers, sometimes taking possession before Moscow even had a chance to set up a play.

"First half, I thought the girls really got it to Madalyn," Grangeville coach Michelle Barger said. "It was working — 'feed the beast,' I call it. If it's working, don't shy away from it. So we were just trying to get it into Madalyn as much as possible."

The Bears' defense was also playing with high intensity, despite the team's 10-point deficit, and was able to turn fortunes in their favor.

Moscow bounced back to hold Green to just two points in the second quarter and the whole Grangeville team to 10 for the frame. The Bears put up 10 of their own to keep their first-quarter deficit the same going into halftime.

Comeback falls just short

Moscow played much more confident and efficient on offense in the second half. It avoided the Bulldogs' traps more often and continued to force turnovers on defense. But Grangeville's offense wasn't kept off the board for very long, and it eventually led 41-28 with 7:40 left in regulation.

But the Bears had saved their best for last.

Moscow senior Maya Anderson scored three straight buckets in just two minutes. The surge accounted for 10 of her team-high 22 points and brought the Bears within 41-38 of the Bulldogs with 5:21 remaining.

That would wind up the last gasp for Moscow.

Grangeville scored five straight points after Anderson's run. The Bears also picked up their fifth foul to put the Bulldogs in the bonus with a couple ticks under three-and-a-half minutes remaining in the contest. Grangeville hadn't been called for any fouls at that time, putting Moscow at the mercy of the charity stripe.

"Our girls, for whatever reason, we come out a little anxious in the first quarter and it kind of trickles over into the second," Moscow coach Josh Colvin said. "By the time we get through halftime we start to play our game and make a little bit of a run. But we're tough, we come back from deficits but, at this point, we're still not a high-scoring team. So it's a push. And Grangeville, give them credit, they're playing really well. They're well-coached and effective."

With four fouls to give and the benefit of the bonus, the Bulldogs closed out the game for the 11-point final margin.

Players of the game

Green had a game-high 25 points and added 11 rebounds for the double-double. Addisyn Vanderwall had a near double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds and added four steals.

Caryss Barger joined her teammates in double-figures with 10 while snagging five steals of her own.

Anderson had a team-high 22 points for the Bears, 15 of them coming off five 3-pointers.

Up next

Grangeville will play Clarkston in the girls Avista Holiday Tournament championship at 2:30 p.m. today at the P1FCU Activity Center.

Moscow will play Downey (Calif.) in the third-place game at 11:30 a.m., also at the P1FCU Activity Center.

GRANGEVILLE (9-1)

Caryss Barger 3 2-4 10, Sienna Wagner 1 0-2 2, Kinzley Adams 0 0-0 0, Madalyn Green 11 3-5 25, Mattie Thacker 1 0-0 2, Addisyn Vanderwall 4 7-12 15. Totals 20 12-23 54.

MOSCOW (6-5)

Punk Knott 2 0-0 6, Addison Lassen 0 0-0 0, Kolbi Kiblen 0 0-0 0, Brooklyn Becker 1 0-0 2, Maya Anderson 8 1-2 22, Jessa Skinner 1 0-0 2, Lola Johns 1 1-6 3, Jacque Williams 3 0-0 6, Faith Tiegs 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 2-8 43.

Grangeville 15 10 12 17—54

Moscow 5 10 13 15—43

3-point goals — Barger 2, Anderson 5, Knott 2.

Kowatsch can be contacted at 208-848-2268, tkowatsch@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @Teren_Kowatsch.