Cusick, Newport triumph at PR tourney

Amanda Smith had 20 points and 12 rebounds as Cusick defeated Priest River 50-37 in the first round of the Priest River Christmas Tournament on Friday.

Misty Ostlie added 11 points for the Panthers (4-0), who broke open the game with a 17-4 third quarter. Lacy Hopkins led PR (2-5) with 11 points.

Cusick will face Newport in tonight’s championship game at 6. Maria Barranco had 23 points and five assists for the Grizzlies (2-4), who defeated Kettle Falls 58-41. Liz Beardslee led the Bulldogs (1-4) with 14 points.

“Becky Lowther scored 17 points and Jen Youngwirth added 11 as Bonners Ferry (5-3, 2-0) held off host Kellogg 44-39 to take sole possession of first place in the Intermountain League. Marisa Bush scored 13 points for the Wildcats (6-6, 2-1), who whittled an 11-point deficit to two points in the fourth quarter and missed a 3-point attempt for the lead. … Sam Siron scored nine points to lead St. Maries (4-3, 1-1) to a 50-35 victory over Timberlake in Spirit Lake. Lynsie Powers led the Tigers (3-8, 0-2) with nine points.

“Cassie Scheffelmaier scored 20 points to lead Kootenai to a 45-32 victory over host Lakeside in a North Star League game at Plummer. Hanna Nyrop added 11 points for the Warriors (7-3, 2-0). Rian Miller had 11 rebounds, four steals and four blocks for the Knights (3-4, 1-1), who scored just two first-quarter points. Wynonna Johnson led Lakeside with 11 points.