The Spanish Springs girls basketball team finally learned it can’t rely on late-game heroics to take down some of the High Desert League’s top teams.



Galena held the Cougars to two first-quarter points and earned a much-needed 43-39 win at home.

Spanish Springs was forced to spend the second quarter trying to erase the 10-2 deficit it buried itself in with poor shooting. The Cougars only made five shots from the field in the first half.

Spanish Springs scored the first seven points of the second quarter to close the deficit to 10-9. The Cougars got to within 14-13, but the Grizz closed the first half with back-to-back buckets to take an 18-13 advantage into the locker room.

Colleen Kern knocked down two of her team-high 14 points on a transition bucket, pushing Galena’s cushion to double digits for the first time in the game, 26-16, at the 5:37 mark.

Hayley Jensen capped the Grizzlies’ 7-0 run with a 3-pointer, making it 29-16.

The Cougars were able to get the deficit back under 10 points by the end of the third quarter thanks to an Ari James putback with two seconds left on the clock. James turned in a double-double with 14 points and 13 boards.

Galena coach Karen Friel got a technical called against her with 5:46 remaining in the game when Spanish Springs was making a run.

Jordan Rogers only made one free throw to make it a 35-29 game, and the visitors did not score on the ensuing possession.

The Grizzlies took a 40-31 lead with 2:52 to play, but Caitlin McKinney answered back for the Cougars with a 3-pointer.

Spanish Springs had its chances to complete the comeback in the final two minutes. Trailing 42-37, the Cougars watched Colleen Mullins miss a wide-open layup for the hosts and Lena Armuth missed the front end of a one-and-one.

“It comes down to the little things, missing layups, missing free throws. If we finish a few more times, we’re right in there and have a chance to win,” SSHS coach Christine Eckles said.

Rogers had two good looks from 3-point land but missed them both. James was able to score on a runner in the lane with 11 seconds on the clock.

Spanish Springs fouled Iverson with 8.7 seconds left, and the senior made one free throw, forcing the Cougars into a two-possession game.

However, Spanish Springs made too many passes on its last trip down the floor and never took a shot before the buzzer sounded.

Rogers and Iverson added 11 points apiece for their respective teams.

The Cougars (17-8, 6-3 HDL) play host to Elko Friday night at 7 p.m.