Spartan girls nip Council

The game was a late addition to the Spartans’ schedule.”It was a great pickup for us,” said Pine-Eagle coach Roger Gulick.

“We were missing four starters, but the younger kids did a good job.”

Pine-Eagle fell behind 15-6 in the first quarter. Ce’ Aira Marks scored four of her 17 points in the quarter.

Chelsie Gulick then scored seven of her 22 points in the second quarter to help trim the deficit to 24-21 at halftime.

Gulick then added nine fourth-quarter points to help the Spartans complete the comeback.

“Council went to a zone defense in the second quarter,” Coach Gulick said. “Then Chelise and Ce’Aira shot them out of the zone.”

Pine-Eagle took a 3-point lead with seven seconds left in the game.

“I told the girls to guard the three-point line,” Gulick said. “I said if they drive to the basket let them go. And, I told Ce’ Aira that if they scored with less than five seconds left to step out of bounds with the ball and enjoy the view.”

Brianna Thatcher added nine points, and had four blocked shots in a 15-second span.

Spartans lose in OT

Pine-Eagle lost 39-33 in overtime to Elgin in the opening round of the Elgin Stampede Shootout Dec. 28.

Elgin’s Shelby Smith scored the opening basket in overtime, and the Huskies made 6 of 7 free throws to outscore Pine-Eagle 9-3.

“We should have won,” Gulick said. “We held the ball for more than two minutes in regulation, then got fouled. But the free throws just didn’t fall.”

Chelsie Gulick led the Spartans with nine points.

Pine-Eagle defeated Huntington in its second tournament game. Gulick did not have any other information on that game.