Big Bend overcomes turnovers…to beat Highline

On a night where both teams combined for 59 turnovers and neither squad shot better than 43 percent from the field, Big Bend executed enough times in the fourth quarter to outlast Highline 70-63.

After a pair of Maddie Williams free throws, the Vikings led 66-50 with less than three minutes left in the game. However, the Thunderbirds‘ full-court press made things interesting with steal after steal until the lead dwindled to seven points before time ran out.

“This was a game of missed opportunities,” head coach Preston Wilks said. “The first half we shot three of 20 from point blank — that’s 15 percent in the first half we were shooting from two-point land. Overall it was 25 percent.

“We were up 10 at half. We could’ve been up easily 20 at the half if we would’ve made some of our two-point opportunities.”

Entering Thursday’s game, the goal set by the players was to finish shots at the rim. That goal went unaccomplished as several missed lay-ups plagued the first half.

Maryah Tipping — a reliable scorer in the painted area — made just one of her six attempts. Madison Wilcox scored by way of volume, posting a game-high 17 points on 6-for-15 shooting.