Three Forks wins first of year against Fairfield

The Three Forks Lady Wolves basketball team picked up their first win of the season on December 10 with a come-from-behind 40-31 win over Fairfield.

Trailing 23-11 at halftime, Three Forks had a huge third quarter, outscoring the Eagles 25-5. After falling 50-29 in their season opener at Manhattan Christian, and 41-39 on December 9 against Belt, first-year Head Coach Lacy Noble said she was grateful to have the win under their belts.

"The girls have worked the last three weeks for that. The girls needed that confidence, and I am hoping to work with that. Such a young team, I hope to keep building on all the good and finding ways to improve the areas that aren't clicking yet," Noble said.

The Wolves were led in scoring against Fairfield by sophomore Tanaya Hauser with 15 points. Freshman Maddie Tesoro finished with 14. The duo was also in double figures against Belt, with Tesoro leading the way with 15 and Hauser adding 10.

"Watching freshman Maddie Tesoro break out and play with such ferocity has been fun. Those two girls will give any defense fits. Bella Jones, on the defensive side, is intimidating to dribble against, and she can force people into pressure," Noble said.

After three games, Noble has been impressed with the squad's halftime adjustments.

"The girls are able to make adjustments and change defense coming out after halftime. And our defense has been really fun to work with. They have a great foundation from the last few years, and we are changing things to make it work for our smaller, faster team. The guards out front on our defense can really mess with some outside shooting," Noble said.

In the opener against MCHS, Hauser had a team-high 18 points. Brielle Davis finished with three, Jones and Kylie Rowan each had two, and Kylee Reichman finished with one point.

Against Belt, Davis and Fallon Page each had four points. Bri Warren, Eva Parker, and Rowan each had two.

Davis added four points against Fairfield, and Jones and Warren each finished with three. Reichman finished with two points.

Three Forks will be on the road Friday at Whitehall and will open their home season Saturday against Big Timber.

"We will need to work on adjusting on the fly, recognizing defense on plays and adjusting in those moments. Our offense struggled as we continued to look for the gaps a little more quickly and lagging passing. We are a short team, so working on creating space on rebounds to more effectively box out will also be on our list for the week. And we struggled to break presses. We will be working on passing against defense," said Noble. "I knew there would be all the adjustments to start the season, and the girls are working at it. Our first conference games will be another test of our ball handling and first-half capabilities. It's hard to come back after halftime to make a game, and I want the girls coming out from tip-off with winning on their mind."