Turney sparks Foothill to Tip-Off title

By its own admission, Foothill’s girls basketball team was less than razor sharp on offense Saturday.

With the exception of sophomore Taylor Turney.

A 5-foot-7-inch wing, Turney hit four 3-pointers and made 12 of 13 free throws to push the Falcons past Arbor View 53-37 in the championship game of the Season Tip-Off Tournament at Del Sol.

“You could tell (Friday) night it had been 9½ months since she put up a shot in a competitive game,” Foothill coach Eric Kruger said. “She’s much more of a vocal leader this year. She’s really growing as a player. She doesn’t have to be the leading scorer every night.”

Turney finished with a game-high 24 points after scoring 22 earlier Saturday in a semifinal win over Rancho.

Her four 3-pointers came during a 28-8 run, in which Turney scored 14 points. Turney’s first 3-pointer erased Arbor View’s only lead with 2:30 left in the first quarter and gave the Falcons a 7-6 lead.

Foothill (4-0), though, struggled with consistency on offense.

“We probably need to go back to the textbook and re-read it a little more,” Kruger said. “We have the luxury of having a lot of kids who know how to get to the basket.”

But the Falcons’ aggressive defense gave Arbor View fits.

The Aggies (3-1), who can burn teams with their athletic ability and perimeter shooting, managed only 11 field goals — four in the fourth quarter — and trailed 42-23 with less than six minutes remaining before a 9-0 run trimmed the deficit to 42-32.

Arbor View, though, got no closer.

“We have 13 girls who play hard,” Kruger said. “We’re not trying to be ahead by 100 at halftime. Our goal is to be fresh in the fourth quarter. They understand what it takes to work hard.”

The Falcons, though, got overly aggressive at times, and Arbor View tried to hang in the game from the free-throw line, making 15 of 27 tries.

“It’s one of those things you have to balance,” Kruger said. “At this point, though, I’ll take that aggression.”

Kelsey McFarland scored 10 points and Gabby Doxtator eight for Foothill.

Dana Lewis led the Aggies with 13 points, and teammate Ariona Gill supplied 11.

Contact reporter Bartt Davis at bdavis@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-5230.