The Toutle Lake Ducks went on the road to face the Black Hills Wolves in a battle of undefeated teams. Both have star players with history together, which made for a compelling game between two teams that have had similar seasons thus far. Toutle Lake came into the game 3-0 and won by an average margin of 21 points. The Wolves came into the game 5-0 and averaged a 25-point win margin. The Wolves were led by Tyler Venable, who was the week 13 athlete of the week and broke the school record for most points in a game with 39 against R.A Long. She was also coming off a 20-point game against Elma, but the Toutle Lake defense came to play and stifled the Wolves early and never looked back.

First Half

The Ducks got off to an immediate 8-0 score, which forced an early timeout by the Wolves. Lainey Dean and Kendal Dean got their nights started early with quick points from the jump, as well as a layup from Audrey Kilponen. Lainey Dean would drain a back-to-back three-pointers to enhance the lead, and Kendal Dean added on with some free throws. The Ducks were at their best on the fast break, though their speed and ability to push the ball down the floor were unmatched by the Black Hills defense.

This is where Toutle Lake started to gain full control of the game. Kendal Dean would hit a three, followed by a Payton Thayer fast-break layup to make it 20-0 in the first quarter. Tyler Venable would drive through the lane and put up a tough layup for her first points of the contest and get the Wolves on the board. With one second left in the first, Barrette McKissick stepped through for a shot and was fouled, sending her to the line as the quarter expired. She would hit one free throw, and Toutle Lake would lead 22-3 going into the second quarter.

After a quiet first quarter, Natalie Buchanan scored a fast break layup and then got the and one a few plays later. This would be the first of multiple throughout the game for Buchanan. Kendal Dean started to catch fire as well as she had three straight scores for the Ducks midway through the second quarter. The defense for the Ducks made nothing easy for Black Hills as they had to fight for every point. Buchanan kept steadily racking up points but Toutle Lake maintained a strong lead. Kendal Dean would hit a tough layup from the left side as time expired on the clock. Toutle Lake led 38-14 going into halftime.

Second Half

Black Hills started the third quarter better what they had done in the entire first half. Natalie Buchanan started the half off with a layup plus the foul for the and one which was completed with the free throw. Both teams exchanged points back and forth but the Ducks had created a substantial lead and did not want to let it go. Lainey Dean hit a nice step back mid range shot to bring the score to 45-21. She then on the next possession came off a screen and drained a top of the key three pointer that pushed the game further out of range.

Toutle Lake started to get into foul trouble towards the end of the third quarter got the Wolves into the bonus. Black Hills is a good free-throw shooting team, and they cashed in on those opportunities. Payton Thayer continued her great night as well with a nice three-pointer and a great switch-hand layup back-to-back for the Ducks. Toutle Lake led 57-34 going into the fourth quarter.

Natalie Buchanan and Payton Thayer exchanged points to open up what would be a low-scoring fourth quarter. The Ducks played more conservatively and wanted to chew the clock down to zero. Kendal Dean continued her high-scoring night as well. Toutle Lake won the game 64-43 and moved to 4-0 while also giving the Wolves their first loss of the season.

MVP and Stats

The Thorbecks’ MVP of the game went to Kendal Dean, who had 26 points in the game as well as three rebounds. An outstanding offensive performance, and she did great on defense as well throughout the game. Lainey Dean tallied 14 points along with two rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Payton Thayer had 15 points on the night as well for the Ducks. Toutle Lake will be back on the road to face Hoquiam on Friday, December 12th, with a 7:00 pm tip-off.

For Black Hills, Natalie Buchanan had 23 points along with 7 rebounds in the game. Tyler Venable was held quite compared to usual with 12 points, one assist, two rebounds, and a block. Good offensive performances between the two, but not enough to defeat the high-octane Toutle Lake. Black Hills will be on the road to face North Thurstson on Monday, December 15th, with a 7:00 pm tip-off.

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ESN Post Game Show

Game Highlights

Payton Thayer with Flashy Back to Back Scores

Natalie Buchanan Starts the Second Half with the And One Bucket

Toutle Lake Offense Starts Hot with 8-point run