COLONY — While Crest High’s Lady Lancers were making their first appearance in their own gymnasium in eight weeks, it was Uniontown High’s Hope Jurgensen who felt right at home.
Jurgensen scored inside, outside and in between in a blistering first half that saw Uniontown lead 13-0, 20-1 and 35-5 at various points of a 58-28 win.
Jurgensen, a 5-7 junior forward, was the catalyst, scoring 18 first-half points for the Lady Eagles.
“Hope was unconscious tonight,” Uniontown head coach Ken Holt said. “She’d been playing well, but tonight she was everywhere.”
She had plenty of help. Breanna Esslinger drained a pair of first-half three-pointers for Uniontown, while Jennifer Ulrey scored a pair of baskets in the second quarter as the Lady Eagles extended their lead.
Meanwhile, Crest’s offense took about a quarter and a half to get in gear.
“Their press gave us fits the first game we played them,” Crest head coach Terry Messenger said. “This time, it wasn’t their press that turned us over. It was us who turned us over.”
The Lancers had little trouble getting past half court, but passes to the interior were sent with a little too much zip in the first quarter.
The Lady Eagles led 20-1, then outscored Crest 15-8 in the second quarter.
But the Lady Lancers showed a bit of grit and determination of their own. They paced themselves on offense and were able to get the ball into the blocks, where Kurston Gilliland scored all 12 of her points.
“It good to just get a win,” Holt said, after Uniontown snapped a three-game losing streak, pushing its overall mark to 6-7 and Three Rivers League record to 1-1.
“It seemed like everything they put up in the first half went in, and it didn’t matter where. Of course, we’re disappointed with a 30-point loss, but the girls kept getting after it to the end,” Messenger said. “That showed character.”
Jurgensen wound up with 20 points, a career high, to lead all scorers to go with two steals. Esslinger added 11 points and two steals. Mandy Ridge pulled down five rebounds, and Tayler Shook had six assists.
Erica Holman added eight points for Crest.
The contest was Crest’s first home game since its season-opener Dec. 2.
Uniontown travels to Chetopa on Tuesday. Crest hosts Hartford.
Uniontown (20-15-11-12—58) (FG/3-pt): Shinn 1-0-0-2, Dixon 0-0-1-0, Ridge 2-0-0-4, Rockhold 0-2-0-2, Coyan 1-0-2-4, Shook 3-1-1-7, Jurgensen 9-2-5-20, Harper 1-0-3-2, Esslinger 1/3-0-1-11, Ulrey 3-0-2-6, Aikins 1-0-3-2. TOTALS: 22/3-5-18-58.
Crest (1-8-11-8—28): Catt 0-3-3-3, B. Strickler 0-0-2-0, K. Strickler 2-1-3-5, Ku. Gilliland 6-0-0-12, Holman 3-2-0-8, Ko. Gilliland 0-0-3-0. TOTALS: 11-6-11-28.
Eagles deck Lady Lancers
