Jessen shines as Timberlake fends off Post Falls

SPIRIT LAKE — Sophomore Brooke Jessen poured in 30 points for Timberlake, but the Tigers needed some late-game heroics from Taryn Soumas and McKeeley Tonkin to upend the visiting Post Falls Trojans 57-52 in a nonleague girls basketball game Thursday night.

Jessen scored 24 points in the first half for Timberlake (2-0).

“Her first half was massive,” Timberlake coach Matt Miller said. “Her teammates were finding her, and she was finishing.”

Tonkin added 12 points, Soumas 10 for Timberlake, which led by as much as 14 in the second half.

But Post Falls, in its season opener, stormed back to take the lead with some 2 minutes left.

Soumas answered with a 3 to give the Tigers back the lead, and Tonkin came up with a couple of big steals.

“They were a tough-nosed team,” Miller said of Post Falls. “They shot it well early in the game.”

Post Falls, with just one returnee with extensive experience from last year’s state 5A champions, jumped out to an early lead. The Trojans finished with eight 3-pointers — including two each by Jenna Gardiner, Bailey Gleaves and Dylan Lovett.

Trailing by four points after one quarter, Timberlake outscored Post Falls 29-13 in the middle two quarters to open up a lead.

“I thought the defense looked great in the second and third quarter,” Miller said.

Ali Carpenter led Post Falls with 11 points, and Gardiner added 10.

On Saturday, Post Falls travels to Sandpoint, and Timberlake visits Coeur d’Alene.

Post Falls 19 5 8 20 — 52

Timberlake 15 17 12 13 — 57

POST FALLS — Johnson 5, Gardiner 10, Gleaves 6, Smith 2, LaFountaine 2, Faulkner 8, Lovett 8, Carpenter 11.

TIMBERLAKE — Tonkin 12, Soumas 10, Hammond 3, Carhart 0, Jessen 30, Willis 2.

Kendrick 70

Lakeside 48

PLUMMER — Tyshea Twoteeth had nine points and Kamryn Hendrickx added eight points for the Knights, who committed 23 fouls in a loss to the Tigers in Lakeside’s season opener at Ron Miller Court.

“In that first quarter, the shots weren’t falling for us, and they definitely were for them,” Lakeside coach Chris Dohrman said. “We fouled them way too much and had some players in foul trouble and it really took us out of our rhythm. We need to do a better job of blocking out and not fouling, but it was good to see what we need to work on. We’ll get better from here.”

Kendrick finished 22 of 36 from the free-throw line.

Tamara Anderson had seven points and seven rebounds for Lakeside (0-1), which travels to Genesee on Tuesday.

Mya Brown scored 21 points for Kendrick (2-0).

Kendrick 25 12 20 13 — 70

Lakeside 9 14 6 19 — 48

KENDRICK — Brown 21, Stacy 0, Anderson 8, Tweit 6, Sandino 1, L. Morgan 15, E. Morgan 17, Nutman 2.

LAKESIDE — Brown 2, Holt 6, Twoteeth 9, S. Pakootas 5, Adrian 0, T. Pakootas 7, Peters 0, Marchand 0, Anderson 7, Hendrickx 8, SiJohn 4.