The McLouth Bulldog varsity girls’ basketball team made up for a lackluster first half Friday with a doozy of a second half as they overcame cross-county rival Oskaloosa, 56-52, in Oskaloosa.
The Bulldogs were down 8 at the half but turned up both the offense and defense in the second half to overcome a decided 39-22 rebounding advantage for Oskaloosa in the game.
The key was some scoring output from sources other than McLouth senior standout guard Missy Rome, although Rome made her presence felt in the second half as well. Sophomore guards Morgan Drinnon and Terri Stewart chipped in offensively while senior forward Kylie Shufflebarger had 6 fourth-quarter points to help the Bulldogs to victory.
The game started out all Oskaloosa as the Bears ran off the first 8 points of the game and the Bulldogs were still scoreless at the 4-minute mark of the quarter. Stewart put an end to that with McLouth’s first score with 3:34 left and the Bulldogs began the short climb back into the game. Stewart drilled a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left to cut the Bear lead to 3 and, after a 3-point play by Bears junior guard Hailey Kelly, Drinnon hit a 3-pointer with time dwindling to cut the Bears’ lead to 13-10 entering the second quarter.
Again, McLouth’s offense sputtered as the Bears built the lead to 9 points by scoring the first 6 points of the quarter. And again, the McLouth offense went scoreless until Rome hit 2 free throws with 3:55 left in the half. The Bears’ lead reached 11 late in the half before Drinnon sank another late 3-pointer to cut the halftime lead to 25-17 Oskaloosa.
Both offenses came out firing in the second half as the teams combined for four 3-pointers in the first 4 minutes. The Bears stretched the lead to 12 early but Drinnon nailed her third 3-pointer of the game. Bears sophomore guard Haley Pfau answered with a 3-pointer at the other end but Stewart hit a baseline 3 to cut the Bears’ lead to 8 with 6:18 left in the quarter. Stewart scored off a nice pass from Rome to cut the lead to 6 and Rome later cut the lead to 5 with a 3-pointer of her own. The lead continued to dwindle as Shufflebarger hit a free throw then Rome scored off an offensive rebound to cut the Oskaloosa lead to 2 at 35-33. The Bears were able to hold the lead at 4 as Drinnon hit 2 free throws but Kelly went coast-to-coast for a late layin to make the score 41-37 Bears entering the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs focused on working the ball inside to Shufflebarger throughout the game and, in the final period, the shots began to fall. She scored the Bulldogs’ first 5 points of the quarter and a Rome 3-pointer with 5:17 to play gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the game at 45-43. A score from junior guard Logan Terry stretched the lead to 4 but senior Audrey Trowbridge scored off a Pfau pass and Kelly drilled a 3-pointer to give the Bears a 1-point lead with 3:28 to play. Terry answered with a 3-pointer and 2 Rome free throws made it 52-48 with 2:34 left.
Oskaloosa was unable to overcome the deficit as shots wouldn’t fall and the Bulldogs got rebounds when they needed them. The Bears had the ball down 3 with 23 seconds left but a long inbounds pass resulted in a turnover and Shufflebarger hit a free throw to make it a two-possession game for the Bears. Kelly missed 2 free throws but senior Kyra Coffman came up with an offensive rebound and hit both free throws after getting fouled. The Bulldogs would escape, however, as Rome took the inbounds pass and hit both free throws with 1.9 seconds left to give McLouth the 56-52 win.
Rome scored 18 points to lead the Bulldogs, with 14 points coming in the second half. Drinnon scored 13 points while Stewart added 11 points in the win. Shufflebarger finished with 9 points and also led the Bulldogs with 8 rebounds and 5 steals. Rome pulled down 6 rebounds with 3 steals.
Oskaloosa was led by 18 points from Pfau, who also grabbed 8 rebounds. Kelly added 16 points and 8 rebounds while Coffman pulled down 9 rebounds and senior Mallory Schmidt grabbed 7 boards.
The win improved McLouth’s record to 12-7 entering the regular season’s final week. The Bears fell to 10-6 but bounced back with a makeup shellacking of Wathena Saturday.
McLouth first-year coach Bob Good said his team benefitted from some close games this season, plus the players seem to step up their games in the second half.
“I told them (at halftime) we basically needed to get back on defense and be better at stopping their dribble penetration,” Good said. “Get back, stop the ball and rebound. I told them the shots would fall, we just need to keep doing what we’re doing on offense. They came on strong. Kylie came on late and the shots started falling. Morgan has grown up a lot this season and has gotten more physical with her game. Logan made a couple big shots for us. This team, for some reason, just has a different level of intensity in the fourth quarter. The game gets late and they get better. I like that demeanor.
“We’re working to get a home game that first round of substate. That’s our focus right now. We want to get down the road a little bit farther than they have (in recent seasons).”
Oskaloosa boys 44, McLouth 37
The boys game was a little bit of a mirror image of the girls’ contest as the Bulldogs established an early lead but couldn’t stop Bears junior guard Adam Bowser in the second half.
Bowser scored 17 second-half points as the Bears held on in the fourth quarter for the win. On the flip side, the Bears held McLouth leading scorer senior guard Cole Batman scoreless in the game to help their cause.
The teams got off to a slow start as it was 6-4 with 2:15 to play in the first quarter, but the Bulldogs finished the quarter on a 5-1 run as sophomore guard Shawn Dailey hit a 3-pointer to make it 11-5 McLouth entering the second quarter.
The Bears began to draw closer in the second quarter as senior Brandon Barnes hit a jumper to cut the lead to 11-9. Another Dailey 3-pointer helped the Bulldogs stay ahead but 2 Bowser free throws and a jumper from sophomore Adam Brien cut the lead back to 1 with 3:54 to play in the half. The scores sparked a 10-point Bears run as McLouth didn’t get back on the board until freshman Marc Walbridge hit a jumper with 1:20 left in the half to make the halftime score 19-16 Oskaloosa.
The Bulldogs hung around the lead in the third quarter as a Walbridge 3 tied the game at 22 with 3:55 left in the quarter. Bowser answered with a 3-pointer as the Bears were able to stretch the lead back to 5. Walbridge hit another 3-pointer with 37 seconds left to cut the Bear lead to 29-27 entering the fourth quarter.
The Bears couldn’t pull away from the Bulldogs until a Bowser 3-pointer and 2 Bowser free throws gave them a 6-point lead with just under 4 minutes left in the game. A 3-point play by McLouth sophomore Alen Kramer cut the lead back to 3 with 2:24 to play but the Bulldogs would get no closer. There was some late controversy as McLouth was in a must-foul situation late and junior guard Derek Wright was called for an intentional foul much to the dislike of Bulldog fans. The ensuing possession helped the Bears to a 6-pont lead and senior Adam Marshall got a key steal and hit a free throw with 14 seconds left to help the Bears to the 44-37 win.
Bowser added 7 rebounds to his 21 points to lead the Bears. Junior Braden McGinnis pulled down 7 rebounds as both teams had 24 rebounds in the game.
McLouth was led by 11 points from Walbridge and 9 points from Dailey. Sophomore forward Gavin Swearngin had 8 rebounds and junior forward Trevor Roberts had 6 rebounds.
Oskaloosa coach Rod Stottlemire said after several close losses this season, it was nice to see his team pull out a victory Friday.
“We’ve lost three overtime games and on a bank-in 3 at the buzzer, so any win we can pull off at the end is a good win,” Stottlemire said. “We’ve had a lot of close misses on the raod and the guys have worked real hard this season. McLouth is playing pretty well, so we’re happy to get the win. We’ve got to be more consistent on offense and step our free throws up a bit as well going into substate here.”
The Bears improved to 8-9 with the win while McLouth fell to 3-17. The Bears dropped their makeup game with Wathena Saturday to fall to 8-10.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
County basketball update for Feb. 23
Tuesday’s games (Feb. 16)
Girls
JCN 68, Wathena 22
• North led, 33-5, after one quarter en route to the easy win to move to 16-1. Sophomore Jordan Kramer led North with 22 points while senior Sara Navinskey scored 12.
Perry-Lecompton 53, Turner 22
• A 20-7 third quarter helped the Kaws to the win as they improved to 10-6. Senior Jessica Christman led Perry-Lecompton with 15 points while junior Abbey Bays scored 13 points and senior Katie Volle scored 10.
McLouth 52, Horton 49 (OT)
• McLouth came back from a 4-point deficit entering the fourth quarter and then scored the only 3 points in overtime to improve to 11-7. Senior Missy Rome poured in 26 points for the Bulldogs while senior Kylie Shufflebarger scored 11.
Oskaloosa 52, Valley Falls 44
• The Bears used a 16-10 third quarter to build a 9-point lead and then held on to improve to 10-5. Valley Falls fell to 6-11. Sophomore Haley Pfau scored 22 for Oskaloosa while junior Hailey Kelly scored 17 for the Bears. The Dragons were led by 18 points from junior Abbey Kearney and 12 points from junior Morgan Streeter.
Hiawatha 58, Jefferson West 38
• West trailed by 21 at the half in falling to 7-11. Senior Taylor Jaimes led West with 10 points.
Boys
Wathena 66, JCN 51
• Wathena outscored North, 40-26, in the second half to pull away and drop the Chargers to 10-6. Junior Jeff Hale led North with 17 points.
Valley Falls 55, Oskaloosa 51 (OT)
• The Bears used a 26-8 second quarter to take an 8-point halftime lead but the Dragons stormed back to tie the game in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Valley Falls then outscored the Bears, 6-2, in the extra period to win and move to 9-8. Oskaloosa fell to 7-9. Valley Falls was led by 13 points from junior Alex Nottingham, 12 points from junior Brooks Glassel and 11 points from senior Mitchell Streeter. Oskaloosa was led by 20 points from junior Levi Wade, 16 points from senior Brandon Barnes and 10 points from junior Adam Bowser.
Hiawatha 63, Jefferson West 44
• West fell to 5-13 with the loss. Senior Alex Baker led the way with 13 points while senior Austin Siess scored 11.
Turner 57, Perry-Lecompton 49
• Turner pulled ahead for good in the third quarter as the Kaws fell to 2-15. Senior Shelby Politte led Perry-Lecompton with 21 points.
Horton 44, McLouth 39
• The Bulldogs led by 4 at the half but were outscored, 33-24, in the second half to fall to 3-16. Senior Cole Batman scored 14 points to lead McLouth.
Friday’s games (Feb. 19)
Boys
Immaculata 54, JCN 52
• North lost a late lead in falling to 10-7. Senior Nick Clark led the Chargers with 17 points.
Jackson Hts. 51, Valley Falls 44
• The Dragons were outscored, 27-13, in the second and third quarters as they dropped to 9-9. Senior Riley Bunde scored 18 points and Nottingham scored 15 points for the Dragons.
Oskaloosa 44, McLouth 37
• The Bears held on for the win to move to 8-9. McLouth fell to 3-17. Bowser scored 21 points to lead Oskaloosa while freshman Marc Walbridge led McLouth with 11 points.
Nemaha Valley 51, Jefferson West 40
• The Tigers fell to 5-14 with the loss. Baker led West with 10 points.
Piper 44, Perry-Lecompton 31
• The Kaws fell to 2-16.
Girls
JCN 52, Immaculata 44
• The Chargers pulled out the game in the fourth quarter to improve to 17-1. Kramer led the way with 19 points for North.
McLouth 56, Oskaloosa 52
• The Bulldogs came back from an 8-point halftime deficit to pull ahead and win in the fourth quarter to improve to 12-7. Oskaloosa dropped to 10-6. Pfau scored 18 while Kelly scored 16 for Oskaloosa. McLouth was led by 18 points from Rome, including 14 in the second half, 13 points from sophomore Morgan Drinnon and 11 points from sophomore Terri Stewart.
Piper 39, Perry-Lecompton 35
• The Kaws dropped to 10-7.
Valley Falls 38, Jackson Hts. 29
• The Dragons outscored the Cobras, 21-11, in the second half to improve to 7-11. Senior Bailey Sherretts scored 13 points and Kearney scored 12 in the win for Valley Falls.
Saturday’s games (Feb. 20)
Boys
Wathena 61, Oskaloosa 43
• The Bears trailed by 12 at the half and Wathena pulled away for the win to drop Oskaloosa to 8-10. Bowser led the Bears with 16 points.
Girls
Oskaloosa 65, Wathena 35
• The Bears improved to 11-6 as they outscored the Wildcats, 33-8, in the second half. Kelly scored 25 points and Pfau scored 20 in the win.
Girls
JCN 68, Wathena 22
• North led, 33-5, after one quarter en route to the easy win to move to 16-1. Sophomore Jordan Kramer led North with 22 points while senior Sara Navinskey scored 12.
Perry-Lecompton 53, Turner 22
• A 20-7 third quarter helped the Kaws to the win as they improved to 10-6. Senior Jessica Christman led Perry-Lecompton with 15 points while junior Abbey Bays scored 13 points and senior Katie Volle scored 10.
McLouth 52, Horton 49 (OT)
• McLouth came back from a 4-point deficit entering the fourth quarter and then scored the only 3 points in overtime to improve to 11-7. Senior Missy Rome poured in 26 points for the Bulldogs while senior Kylie Shufflebarger scored 11.
Oskaloosa 52, Valley Falls 44
• The Bears used a 16-10 third quarter to build a 9-point lead and then held on to improve to 10-5. Valley Falls fell to 6-11. Sophomore Haley Pfau scored 22 for Oskaloosa while junior Hailey Kelly scored 17 for the Bears. The Dragons were led by 18 points from junior Abbey Kearney and 12 points from junior Morgan Streeter.
Hiawatha 58, Jefferson West 38
• West trailed by 21 at the half in falling to 7-11. Senior Taylor Jaimes led West with 10 points.
Boys
Wathena 66, JCN 51
• Wathena outscored North, 40-26, in the second half to pull away and drop the Chargers to 10-6. Junior Jeff Hale led North with 17 points.
Valley Falls 55, Oskaloosa 51 (OT)
• The Bears used a 26-8 second quarter to take an 8-point halftime lead but the Dragons stormed back to tie the game in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Valley Falls then outscored the Bears, 6-2, in the extra period to win and move to 9-8. Oskaloosa fell to 7-9. Valley Falls was led by 13 points from junior Alex Nottingham, 12 points from junior Brooks Glassel and 11 points from senior Mitchell Streeter. Oskaloosa was led by 20 points from junior Levi Wade, 16 points from senior Brandon Barnes and 10 points from junior Adam Bowser.
Hiawatha 63, Jefferson West 44
• West fell to 5-13 with the loss. Senior Alex Baker led the way with 13 points while senior Austin Siess scored 11.
Turner 57, Perry-Lecompton 49
• Turner pulled ahead for good in the third quarter as the Kaws fell to 2-15. Senior Shelby Politte led Perry-Lecompton with 21 points.
Horton 44, McLouth 39
• The Bulldogs led by 4 at the half but were outscored, 33-24, in the second half to fall to 3-16. Senior Cole Batman scored 14 points to lead McLouth.
Friday’s games (Feb. 19)
Boys
Immaculata 54, JCN 52
• North lost a late lead in falling to 10-7. Senior Nick Clark led the Chargers with 17 points.
Jackson Hts. 51, Valley Falls 44
• The Dragons were outscored, 27-13, in the second and third quarters as they dropped to 9-9. Senior Riley Bunde scored 18 points and Nottingham scored 15 points for the Dragons.
Oskaloosa 44, McLouth 37
• The Bears held on for the win to move to 8-9. McLouth fell to 3-17. Bowser scored 21 points to lead Oskaloosa while freshman Marc Walbridge led McLouth with 11 points.
Nemaha Valley 51, Jefferson West 40
• The Tigers fell to 5-14 with the loss. Baker led West with 10 points.
Piper 44, Perry-Lecompton 31
• The Kaws fell to 2-16.
Girls
JCN 52, Immaculata 44
• The Chargers pulled out the game in the fourth quarter to improve to 17-1. Kramer led the way with 19 points for North.
McLouth 56, Oskaloosa 52
• The Bulldogs came back from an 8-point halftime deficit to pull ahead and win in the fourth quarter to improve to 12-7. Oskaloosa dropped to 10-6. Pfau scored 18 while Kelly scored 16 for Oskaloosa. McLouth was led by 18 points from Rome, including 14 in the second half, 13 points from sophomore Morgan Drinnon and 11 points from sophomore Terri Stewart.
Piper 39, Perry-Lecompton 35
• The Kaws dropped to 10-7.
Valley Falls 38, Jackson Hts. 29
• The Dragons outscored the Cobras, 21-11, in the second half to improve to 7-11. Senior Bailey Sherretts scored 13 points and Kearney scored 12 in the win for Valley Falls.
Saturday’s games (Feb. 20)
Boys
Wathena 61, Oskaloosa 43
• The Bears trailed by 12 at the half and Wathena pulled away for the win to drop Oskaloosa to 8-10. Bowser led the Bears with 16 points.
Girls
Oskaloosa 65, Wathena 35
• The Bears improved to 11-6 as they outscored the Wildcats, 33-8, in the second half. Kelly scored 25 points and Pfau scored 20 in the win.
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