Scoring woes plague Bengal girls

It seems simple enough – put the ball in the basket to score points. However, as Brighton High’s girls basketball team has seen, sometimes it isn’t quite that easy.

Scoring has both helped and hurt the Bengals through the preseason, evidenced by their 4-4 record. Brighton is averaging just 37 points per game and allowing opponents 41. Moreover, the Bengals have averaged 44 points per game in their four wins and just 31 points in their four losses.

Brighton opened the season with a 40-37 loss to Davis and rebounded with consecutive victories over Riverton (48-46) and Pleasant Grove (40-33). The Bengals lost to Bingham (55-34) and Skyline (37-20) before defeating Viewmont (45-26) and Mountain View (42-38). Most recently, Brighton lost to Weber 55-32 before taking time off for the holidays.

Alyssa Hirschi, Kelcie Douglas and Maddy Chin each scored eight points in the loss to Davis. Douglas made a pair of 3-pointers, as did Ali Hahn, who scored seven points. Amanda Jensen added four points for Brighton, which led 25-24 at halftime but was outscored 16-12 in the second half.

Hahn made four 3-pointers and finished with 18 points in the victory over Riverton. Chin scored 13 points and Ashley Cruz made three 3-pointers and had 11 points, as Brighton led 29-24 at halftime.

Chin posted 12 points and Hahn made a pair of threes and had 11 points against Pleasant Grove. Lindsey Johnson scored nine points and Cruz four, as the Bengals led 17-16 at halftime before the Vikings pulled ahead 26-22 after three quarters. Brighton used an 18-7 fourth quarter to prevail.

The Bengals had trouble keeping up with Bingham in their meeting, seeing a five-point halftime deficit swell to 17 (40-23) after three quarters. Chin had 14 points, Hahn 10 and Johnson six.

Brighton simply couldn’t score against Skyline, trailing 20-13 at halftime and managing only seven points the entire second half. Douglas had nine points and Chin and Johnson four apiece. Skyline’s Miquelle Askew singlehandedly outscored the Bengals with 21 points.

Hirschi tallied nine points and Douglas (two 3-pointers) and Chin each had eight points in the win over Viewmont. Hahn and Johnson scored seven points apiece, as Brighton led 24-14 at halftime and extended the lead slightly after three quarters, 36-22.

Johnson erupted for 17 points and three 3-pointers in the win over Mountain View. Douglas made two 3-pointers and had eight points, Hahn and Chin each had six points and McCall Christensen four. Mountain View led 22-21 at halftime before Brighton rallied to take a 33-32 lead into the fourth quarter.

Scoring issues arose against Weber, as the Bengals trailed 25-12 at halftime and 44-21 after three quarters. Hahn scored nine points and Douglas and Adhieu Irok each had four points.

Chin and Hahn are leading the Bengals in scoring thus far at nine points per game. Johnson averages six points, Douglas five points and Cruz and Hirschi three apiece.