This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It's a slight exaggeration to say Judge Memorial has lived and died by the 3-pointer this season, but with each game that passes, it becomes a little more accurate.
Monday night, the Bulldogs knocked down eight 3-pointers six in the second half to pull away from visiting Kearns for a 66-52 victory.
Sophomore Kailie Quinn made two from beyond the arc on her way to a career-best 26 points and Caitlin Gruis made three 3s shortly after halftime as Judge (5-2) opened a two-point lead to double digits entering the fourth quarter.
"It was a combination of our team working together and I just hit the open shots," said Gruis, a senior who has 12 3-pointers in the past three games. "We started the first half a little slow, but we really picked it up in the second half and talked a lot more. It's all about communication with our team."
Kearns center Micaelee Orton has 25 points and 11 rebounds while Tala Faumui added 16 points and 12 rebounds, but only two other Cougars (3-5) scored points. Kearns shot just 3 of 21 in the third quarter and hurt itself with 23 turnovers.
Orton scored 12 points in the first quarter, but she was held to just one basket in the next two periods.
"We put our sophomore Julia Wheatly on her [Orton], and she's got the length," Judge coach Matt Mapstone said. "That seemed to bother her a little, but she's fantastic. There's not much you can do against her."
Quinn, whose previous career best was 20 points, had 16 points before halftime. She failed to score a basket in the third quarter, then connected on two 3-pointers in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter to help Judge pull away and win for the fifth time in six games.
"I guess I was just feeling it in the fourth," Quinn said. "But I know for the rest of the game I have to have an inside-outside game, where I start inside and build up my confidence to go outside."
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