Women’s basketball falls short to Antelope

By Lev Farris Goldenberg,
BlueDevilHUB.com

The shots just would not land for the Davis High Blue Devils. Despite trailing Antelope by as many as 16, Davis had pulled to within six with under a minute to play.

However, that was as far as they would get, as the Titans sank four of their final five free-throws to outlast Davis 63-54 last Tuesday.

The Devils took 17 shots from the deep but made zero.

For Davis, it was a rare sight on the stat line, but one not out of the ordinary in the past few games. The Devils are averaging just 44 points a game in their last three contests. The good news? Their opponents in those games are averaging only 45 points.

Fourth-year head coach Heather Highshoe has faith that the shooting problems are only temporary.

“We’re in a little shooting funk right now. Kelsey and Cristina are shooters so we’ll bounce back and find our stroke again,” Highshoe said.

Despite the poor shooting, four Devils finished in double digits. Senior Kelsey Forrester chipped in 10, her eighth consecutive game with 10 or more. Junior guard Alex Agnew had a good game all around, with 12 points, four assists, two rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

The 5-foot-9 junior Christina Oliva caught fire in the last few minutes, fueling the Devils’ last-minute push. But her 16 points (seventh consecutive game with double-digits) were not enough to secure a Devil victory.

The Titans deployed a full court press throughout much of the first half, holding Davis to just nine points in the first quarter.

Antelope dominated in the paint and on rebounding. Their size advantage was evident, with three Titans above 5’10” to Davis’s one.

The Titans were led by 6-foot-1 forward Arianna Spann, who finished with a double-double on 16 points and 12 rebounds. Davis’ freshman forward Skylar Schouten held her own down low, finishing with a season-high 12 points and seven rebounds.

“For a freshman, I’m really proud of what she is giving to the team. Her focus, I’ve seen a sense of maturity in her game itself. I’m excited to see how she continues to develop,” Highshoe said.

The Devils are now 3-4, their record at this point last year. Highshoe knows they still have some things to work out.

“Finding the cohesiveness within our team and figuring out exactly what works. We’re switching up a few things […] Implementing new offense, new defense, so everyone is trying to get on the same page.”

Davis has a week off until its game against Dixon on Dec. 21.