The Husky girls fell behind in the first quarter and couldn’t get past that deficit in a 43-46 loss to Tri-Valley at home Jan. 28.

EPJ played some of its defense inside in the first half, with Nora Kastning and Josie Curry clogging the lane. That led to a number of steals for easy Husky points.

The girls trailed by 3 at halftime, but fell behind by as much as 9 in the third quarter. Strong rebounding got the Huskies back in the game helped by back-to-back 3’s from Addison Stabe. The Mustangs responded with a run of their own to lead 41-30 going into the final quarter.

Then Kastning lit up, hitting a 3-pointer, 2 free throws and another basket inside, pulling the Huskies within 3 at 38-41. Unfortunately, she fouled out just after that run.

EPJ played their hearts out on defense, but trailed 40-44 when Stabe hit her third of the night. The game came down to free throws in the end, with Tri-Valley making theirs to seal the win.

Kasting led the team with 12 points and 8 rebounds; Stabe added 11 points and 2 steals. Maddie Hammitt made 2 assists.

The girls made up a game postponed by weather, hosting the Lawton-Bronson Eagles Jan. 30.

The game was back and forth, tied 8 times, with 7 lead changes. EPJ held a slim 22-21 lead at halftime and 33-30 going into the 4th quarter.

That’s when the Husky offense sputtered, as the girls went 0-for in field goals and free throws. Meanwhile, the Eagles put up 12 points to take the win, 42-33.

See full story in this week’s Leader-Courier.