Lady Bison break 100-point mark

PABLO - Looking at the final score of the Salish Kootenai College women's basketball game last Friday, one would think they were at an NBA game instead of at McDonald sports complex in Pablo.

The night before, at practice, head coach Juan Perez said the team made a goal of cracking 100 points.

"I knew if they played well, rushed the ball, that we could do that," he said.

The Lady Bison beat Northwest Indian College 105-73. This is the first time this season SKC has reached the 100-point mark in a game.

It took the players hitting their shots, strong defense, creating turnovers and capitalizing on those turnovers, Perez said.

Guard Misty Ostlie started the game with a 3-point shot, one of 14 for the Bison during the game, before knocking down one more and dropping in a free throw for a 14-2 lead.

Carla McLean dropped in two free throws before Tiffany Sinclair put in a three and Kyani Murphy added a basket for a 17-point lead.

Marianne Addison dropped in two 3-point baskets before NWIC battled back to a 30-20 score.

Shaylene Piedalue and Lisa Mathias stopped the run, each making a 3-point shot. Murphy added a rebound for a 50-30 halftime lead.

To start the second half, Piedalue went on a tear. She earned an easy lay-up. stole the ball, dropped in a three and added another basket to increase the lead to 20.

Addison dropped in three baskets before Charla Brown nailed two 3-point shots. Mathias brought her team one-point away from triple digits when she made two free throws. She was also the one to put her team over the hump with a basket 25 seconds away from the game's end. Sinclair, Piedalue and Ostlie each added points to end the game.

Perez said Piedalue impressed him on the court.

"She was active and aggressive all game," he said. "She tried to really press."

Ostlie also showed talent on Friday.

"She was all over the court, but in a good way," Perez said.

In two weeks, SKC will compete in the American Indian Higher Education Consortium National Championships in Santa Fe, N.M. SKC has played four of the teams in the tournament already this season.

"We beat those teams by double digits," Perez said. "We're felling pretty good. Since we've played those teams, we've gotten better."

The biggest competition for the Bison will be Lakota College.

"We beat them three times this season," Perez said. "But they are persistent on the court."

Turtle Mountain will be another team SKC will keep its eyes on.

"We played them last year in the championship," Perez said. "They'll be a team that'll give us some trouble."