Sports

Dimond girls cruise into CIC semifinals

With one of its best players on the bench, the second-seeded Dimond girls basketball team might have looked ripe for an upset bid Tuesday against No. 7 Bartlett in the opening round of the Cook Inlet Conference tournament at West.

Or not.

With all-conference selection Rohyn Huss watching from the bench, the Lynx rolled to an impressive 70-45 win to advance into the semifinals.

"I'm proud of the kids for stepping up," said Dimond coach Jim Young, who noted that Huss should be back in time for Friday's semis.

Freshman Maya Carle did her best Huss impression by racking up 19 points for the Lynx, who also got a game-high 21 from Nikki Forrey and 10 from Shameah Jones.

The Golden Bears were able to keep things close in the early going and led 20-16 early in the second quarter. But when Bartlett co-captain Damaiya Ward was forced to the bench with three fouls midway through the frame, the Lynx seized their opportunity. Dimond finished the half on a 28-5 run, effectively ending any hopes for an upset.

Ward finished with a team-high 16 points for Bartlett, which got 10 from Sudana Moyong. Tala Lauvale added eight points for the Golden Bears.

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Young said Huss could have played Tuesday, but he wanted to make sure she was 100 percent for the rest of the team's playoff run.

"We just wanted to give Rohyn a break," he said.

The second half was essentially an afterthought, as Bartlett was never able to regain the momentum it built in the early going.

Dimond will face the winner of Wednesday's 5:30 p.m. contest between No. 3 Chugiak and No. 6 Service in one of two semifinals scheduled Friday.

Contact reporter Matt Tunseth at 257-4335 or mtunseth@alaskadispatch.com

Matt Tunseth

Matt Tunseth is a former reporter for the Anchorage Daily News and former editor of the Alaska Star.

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