For about 26 minutes of the 32 minutes of game time in Saturday’s championship game of the McLouth Invitational boys’ basketball tournament, ACCHS and Oskaloosa were neck-and-neck.
Then the Tigers – more specifically, guard Ben Hawk – took their side of the game into another gear and Oskaloosa was forced to settle for second with a 53-37 ACCHS victory.
Hawk scored 10 straight points at one point to turn a 2-point ACCHS deficit into an 8-point Tigers lead early in the fourth quarter and the Bears didn’t respond. More than 25 turnovers for the Bears didn’t help their cause despite a 27-12 advantage in rebounding. ACCHS committed only 15 turnovers.
Oskaloosa made their way to the championship game with a quarterfinal win over Maranatha and a 1-point semifinal win over county rival Jefferson County North. ACCHS took down Valley Falls in the first round and the host McLouth Bulldogs in the semifinals to reach the title tilt.
The first three quarters of the game were very competitive as Oskaloosa took the early lead but ACCHS came back to tie the game. Oskaloosa took another 3-point lead at 11-8 but ACCHS forward Troy Wehking scored 5 late points to give ACCHS a 13-11 lead entering the second quarter.
The Tigers’ lead reached 6 points in the early part of the second quarter and hung there for most of the quarter. Oskaloosa got a 3-pointer from junior guard Brandon Barnes with 40 seconds left in the half that cut the ACCHS lead to 23-20 at halftime.
Oskaloosa hung in the game throughout the third quarter and eventually regained the lead. Senior post player Chase Tenpenny notched a 3-point play and the Bears turned defensive rebounds into points to tie the game at 27. A Barnes jumper gave the Bears the lead with 2:36 left in the quarter and Barnes added a lay-in to give the Bears a 4-point lead. Wehking scored off an offensive rebound to cut the lead back to 2 and the Bears had a chance for a final shot in the quarter. The inbounds pass from sophomore Adam Bowser sailed out of bounds without any other Bear player touching it, however, so ACCHS got an inbounds opportunity along the sideline on their end of the court. The ensuing inbounds pass went to Wehking, who hit a turnaround jumper at the buzzer to tie the game at 31 entering the fourth quarter.
Two free throws by Bears senior J.T. Thurston gave Oskaloosa a 33-31 lead with 6:47 to play but that’s when Hawk went to work. He started what would be a single-handed 10-point run with a 3-pointer to give ACCHS a 34-33 lead. The Bears had several chances to respond but couldn’t get back on the board. After a Bears turnover, Hawk hit a running jumper and, after a rebound went out of bounds off Oskaloosa, Hawk converted a 3-point play to make the Tigers’ lead 6 at 39-33. Hawk got a steal on the Bears’ next possession and took a hard foul before sinking two free throws to give ACCHS an 8-point lead.
The Bears’ offensive woes continued as ACCHS pulled down another defensive rebound and two free throws by Tigers guard Riley Hundley made the lead 10 points with 3:43 to play. Tenpenny scored off a putback and Bears senior Adam Paavola hit two free throws to cut the lead back to 6 but a Hawk jumper and two Hundley steals kept the Tigers in command. Hawk was 8-for-8 at the free throw line in the quarter as the Tigers were able to salt away a 53-37 win and a tournament title.
Hawk led the Tigers with 28 points and 4 steals in the win while Wehking added 15 points. Oskaloosa was led by a big game from Tenpenny, who finished with 13 points and 17 rebounds. No other Bear reached double figures in scoring.
The loss dropped Oskaloosa’s record to 7-5 on the season.
JCN third, Valley Falls fifth
The third place game between JCN and McLouth started out looking like a replay of JCN’s runaway win in McLouth in January but ended with a Bulldog surge before JCN pulled out a 48-37 win.
The Chargers jumped out to a 7-0 lead and would lead 12-4 after the first quarter as McLouth struggled offensively. JCN stretched the lead to double digits in the second quarter as McLouth continued to be unable to get points. The Chargers’ lead was 25-8 at halftime.
The Bulldogs showed signs of life on offense in the third quarter to start the second half on a 6-point run but JCN rattled off 7 straight points and maintained a 16-point lead at 39-23 going into the fourth quarter. The roles of the first half were reversed in the fourth quarter as McLouth went on an 8-point run to cut the Charger lead to 8 on a lay-in by freshman forward Gavin Swearngin.
Free throws helped JCN maintain the lead at 8 but Swearngin scored on a putback to cut the lead to 6. After a steal by senior Jarrod Bechard, junior guard Cole Batman hit one of two free throws to cut the lead to 5 at 41-36 with 1:47 to play. That was as close as the Bulldogs would get, though, as JCN senior Dalton Speer hit one of two free throws and sophomore Jeff Hale did the same to stretch the lead back to 7. The Chargers got the ball back and got a free throw from senior Matt Perry with 51 seconds left to make the lead 44-36. The Chargers would go the entire quarter without a field goal but free throws and McLouth’s inability to keep up the offensive pressure helped JCN put the lead back to double digits and finish off a 48-37 win.
Three North players finished in double figures as Hale scored 11 points and Speer and senior Riley Noll scored 10 points each. McLouth was led by 16 points from Swearngin but no other Bulldog scored more than 6.
JCN coach Jim Brickell said his team was fortunate that McLouth didn’t have a better first half. He credited both teams at times for good play.
“The main thing is the result,” Brickell said. “We didn’t anticipate having that big of a lead at the half. I credit McLouth for coming back there in the fourth quarter but I also credit our guys for getting that margin and holding on. They scored 8 points the whole first half and then 15 points in the third quarter. We knew they were better than 8 points in a half. We had some letdowns defensively and didn’t make free throws like I’d like to see. Both teams battled hard. I’m pleased getting out of here with third place. That’s two wins out of three games.”
The win improved North to 5-6. McLouth fell to 1-10.
In the fifth place game, the Valley Falls Dragons avenged an earlier defeat at the hands of the Cair Paravel Lions with an overtime 59-56 victory.
Cair Paravel went into the second quarter with a 10-4 lead and stretched it to 15-6 before the Dragons mounted a comeback to tie the game at 17 on a short jumper by junior post player Riley Bunde. Senior forward Josh Kearney gave the Dragons the lead with a short jumper with 1:04 left in the half but Cair Paravel scored the last 3 points of the half to take a 20-19 halftime lead.
The Dragons came out firing offensively in the second half as two 3-pointers by junior guard Mitchell Streeter helped the Dragons to a 27-24 lead. A 3-pointer by sophomore Alex Nottingham helped stretch the lead to 32-24 and the Dragons ended the quarter with a 37-28 lead.
The Dragons’ lead reached its peak early in the fourth quarter as Streeter drilled another 3-pointer to make it 40-28. Cair Paravel surged back, however, as senior Lucas Bider hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 41-35 with 3:37 left. A lay-in by senior Jeremy Wynne cut the lead to 42-38 with 1:33 left but the Dragons still held a 6-point lead at 46-40 with 47 seconds left. A Wynne running jumper cut the lead to 4 with 33 seconds left and Wynne got a quick steal and a lay-in by senior Taylor Petrik cut the Dragons’ lead to 2 shortly thereafter. Valley Falls freshman Brock Watson hit a free throw to make the lead 3 with 19 seconds left but Wynne answered with a 3-pointer to tie the game with 10 seconds remaining.
The Lions came up with a steal with time running down but a desperation shot sailed wide and the game headed to overtime. Petrik hit a 3-pointer to give the Lions a 1-point lead in the early going and a Wynne lay-in made it 52-49 Lions. Streeter answered with a 3-pointer to tie the game and a Nottingham short running jumper off a Bunde defensive rebound gave the lead back to the Dragons. A Kearney score stretched the lead to 4 with 57 seconds left but Wynne answered with a drive and lay-in to cut the lead back to 2. Streeter hit two free throws with 27 seconds left and, this time, there would be no late heroics for the Lions. Dragons sophomore Brooks Glassel hit a free throw with 7.9 seconds left to make it a 5-point game and a Lions putback score at the buzzer was meaningless as the Dragons escaped with a 59-56 win to improve to 6-7.
Streeter led the Dragons with 17 points while Nottingham scored 15 and Bunde added 12. Kearney was also in double figures with 11 points. The Lions were led by 17 points from Wynne and 16 from Petrik.
Dragons coach Caleb Gatzemeyer said he was happy to get two wins at the tournament after an opening round loss to ACCHS.
“Effingham (ACCHS) is a good team and they took us out of what we wanted to do that first game,” Gatzemeyer said. “We thought we might see Cair Paravel in the championship if we could have made it, so we knew they were tough going into this game. We talked at halftime about being more methodical with the ball and being patient. If we slow down with the ball and knock down some free throws down the stretch, we win in regulation. Alex Nottingham really got us going tonight. Riley had a big game last night (in the semifinals) so we’ve had some real team efforts here. This is a good win for us. It’s been an up and down season but we’ve been in most every game we’ve played. The guys finished well today.”
Maranatha defeated Bishop Seabury in the seventh-place game.
Tenpenny, Riley Noll, Bunde, McLouth’s Cole Batman, Thurston, and McLouth’s Derrick Crouse were named to the all-tourney team.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Bears sweep Doniphan West
A second quarter surge helped the Oskaloosa varsity girls’ basketball team stay perfect in league regular season play as the Bears rolled past Doniphan West, 46-26, Friday in Oskaloosa.
The win improved the Bears to 7-1 with their only loss coming in the Delaware Valley League preseason tourney against Jefferson County North. Games in the tournament don’t count toward the DVL teams’ league records.
Defense was the name of the game for OHS Friday as the Bears forced 19 West turnovers while committing only 9 themselves, including only 2 in the second half. This outweighed a rebounding advantage that was 31-20 in favor of the visiting Mustangs.
The score was 2-2 for a chunk of the first quarter as neither team could find the mark offensively. Oskaloosa senior Nicole Rockhold finally broke the stalemate with a baseline jumper with 2:43 to play in the quarter and the teams played to a 7-6 Oskaloosa lead entering the second quarter.
Rockhold got the Bears started with a short turnaround jumper with 6:18 left in the half and the Bears went on a run. They rattled off the final 9 points of the half including 5 points from Rockhold to make the halftime score 22-9 Bears.
Doniphan West played better offensively in the third quarter but Oskaloosa edged further away. The Bears scored the first 4 points of the half and extended the lead to 16 at 28-12 before the Mustangs began a comeback. Two 3-pointers by senior Taylor Twombly helped trim the lead to 9 at 28-19, but the Bears responded with an 8-2 run to end the quarter with a 36-21 lead as Rockhold and freshman Haley Pfau scored 4 points each on the run thanks in part to quick transition offense.
From there, it was a matter of time as Oskaloosa’s lead reached 19 early in the fourth quarter. Bears coach LeeAnn Tufte put in the reserves to finish off the 46-26 win.
Rockhold led the Bears with 20 points in the win and added 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Sophomore Hailey Kelly was the other Bear in double figures with 11 points and also had 3 steals. Pfau added 6 rebounds in the win to lead the team in that category. Doniphan West was led by 12 points and 6 rebounds from junior Lisa Scholz and 10 rebounds from junior Jessica Gartner.
Tufte said all around it was a good win for her team.
“We played solid defensively,” she said. “During those times like the first quarter where our offense isn’t running well, defense like that keeps us right there. I’m very pleased. Our bench also did well so I’m happy to see that.”
Oskaloosa boys 46, Doniphan West 31
The Bear boys used a strong second half to pull away from the Mustangs and get their first league win.
Rebounding was a key for Oskaloosa as the Bears pulled down 30 rebounds compared to only 16 for West. They also forced 18 turnovers while committing 17.
West grabbed an early 7-4 lead but saw the Bears go on a 10-2 run to take the lead thanks to 4 points each from senior Chase Tenpenny and sophomore Adam Bowser. The Bears took a 14-11 lead into the second quarter.
The Bears lead hung in the area of 3-4 points through the second quarter as neither team could gain ground on the other. Oskaloosa’s lead reached 6 but a 3-point play by West senior Travis Twombly cut it back to 3 and the Bears took a 22-18 lead into halftime. The Mustangs suffered a key loss in the quarter as senior guard Zach Lee collided with Oskaloosa senior J.T. Thurston and hit the floor hard and left the game with an apparent cut on the back of his head.
The third quarter would prove pivotal as a Thurston 3-point play helped the Bears build the lead to 29-20. West cut the lead back to 5 but Oskaloosa built it back to the point the Bears held a 35-26 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Bears finished the game strong as they outscored the Mustangs, 11-5, in the final period. The lead reached 11 early in the quarter and free throws helped the Bears pull away for a 46-31 victory.
Thurston led the way for Oskaloosa with 15 points along with 5 rebounds. Tenpenny notched a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds to go with 5 steals and Bowser added 11 points in the win. West was led by 10 points and 4 rebounds from Twombly.
The win improved Oskaloosa to 5-4 following league losses to Troy and Jackson Heights. Bears coach Rod Stottlemire said he was glad to get the win but his team needs more consistency if it wants to make an impact in the postseason.
“We turned the ball over too much in the first half, but we played real hard defensively,” Stottlemire said. “We’ve figured out that if we can hold the other team under 44 points we can win. That’s our magic number. We got some good looks there in the second half and had some layups. We’ve gotta do better at being consistent in rebounding and on offense. We did better tonight about not letting them have second chance points. If we can get that consistency, we’ll be OK.”
The win improved the Bears to 7-1 with their only loss coming in the Delaware Valley League preseason tourney against Jefferson County North. Games in the tournament don’t count toward the DVL teams’ league records.
Defense was the name of the game for OHS Friday as the Bears forced 19 West turnovers while committing only 9 themselves, including only 2 in the second half. This outweighed a rebounding advantage that was 31-20 in favor of the visiting Mustangs.
The score was 2-2 for a chunk of the first quarter as neither team could find the mark offensively. Oskaloosa senior Nicole Rockhold finally broke the stalemate with a baseline jumper with 2:43 to play in the quarter and the teams played to a 7-6 Oskaloosa lead entering the second quarter.
Rockhold got the Bears started with a short turnaround jumper with 6:18 left in the half and the Bears went on a run. They rattled off the final 9 points of the half including 5 points from Rockhold to make the halftime score 22-9 Bears.
Doniphan West played better offensively in the third quarter but Oskaloosa edged further away. The Bears scored the first 4 points of the half and extended the lead to 16 at 28-12 before the Mustangs began a comeback. Two 3-pointers by senior Taylor Twombly helped trim the lead to 9 at 28-19, but the Bears responded with an 8-2 run to end the quarter with a 36-21 lead as Rockhold and freshman Haley Pfau scored 4 points each on the run thanks in part to quick transition offense.
From there, it was a matter of time as Oskaloosa’s lead reached 19 early in the fourth quarter. Bears coach LeeAnn Tufte put in the reserves to finish off the 46-26 win.
Rockhold led the Bears with 20 points in the win and added 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Sophomore Hailey Kelly was the other Bear in double figures with 11 points and also had 3 steals. Pfau added 6 rebounds in the win to lead the team in that category. Doniphan West was led by 12 points and 6 rebounds from junior Lisa Scholz and 10 rebounds from junior Jessica Gartner.
Tufte said all around it was a good win for her team.
“We played solid defensively,” she said. “During those times like the first quarter where our offense isn’t running well, defense like that keeps us right there. I’m very pleased. Our bench also did well so I’m happy to see that.”
Oskaloosa boys 46, Doniphan West 31
The Bear boys used a strong second half to pull away from the Mustangs and get their first league win.
Rebounding was a key for Oskaloosa as the Bears pulled down 30 rebounds compared to only 16 for West. They also forced 18 turnovers while committing 17.
West grabbed an early 7-4 lead but saw the Bears go on a 10-2 run to take the lead thanks to 4 points each from senior Chase Tenpenny and sophomore Adam Bowser. The Bears took a 14-11 lead into the second quarter.
The Bears lead hung in the area of 3-4 points through the second quarter as neither team could gain ground on the other. Oskaloosa’s lead reached 6 but a 3-point play by West senior Travis Twombly cut it back to 3 and the Bears took a 22-18 lead into halftime. The Mustangs suffered a key loss in the quarter as senior guard Zach Lee collided with Oskaloosa senior J.T. Thurston and hit the floor hard and left the game with an apparent cut on the back of his head.
The third quarter would prove pivotal as a Thurston 3-point play helped the Bears build the lead to 29-20. West cut the lead back to 5 but Oskaloosa built it back to the point the Bears held a 35-26 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Bears finished the game strong as they outscored the Mustangs, 11-5, in the final period. The lead reached 11 early in the quarter and free throws helped the Bears pull away for a 46-31 victory.
Thurston led the way for Oskaloosa with 15 points along with 5 rebounds. Tenpenny notched a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds to go with 5 steals and Bowser added 11 points in the win. West was led by 10 points and 4 rebounds from Twombly.
The win improved Oskaloosa to 5-4 following league losses to Troy and Jackson Heights. Bears coach Rod Stottlemire said he was glad to get the win but his team needs more consistency if it wants to make an impact in the postseason.
“We turned the ball over too much in the first half, but we played real hard defensively,” Stottlemire said. “We’ve figured out that if we can hold the other team under 44 points we can win. That’s our magic number. We got some good looks there in the second half and had some layups. We’ve gotta do better at being consistent in rebounding and on offense. We did better tonight about not letting them have second chance points. If we can get that consistency, we’ll be OK.”
JCN girls take nailbiter from McLouth, 60-58
Last season, an upstart McLouth Bulldogs’ girls’ varsity basketball team went into Winchester and took down the Jefferson County North Chargers on their home court. This year, it was JCN’s chance to turn the tables.
The Chargers did so Friday in McLouth, but it wasn’t easy as a 13-point JCN halftime lead dwindled to the point McLouth led by 1 with less than 10 seconds left. North freshman Jordan Kramer hit the biggest shot of her high school career thus far with a game-winning 3-pointer to give JCN a 60-58 win.
A combination of rebounding and defense helped the Chargers build their healthy halftime lead but McLouth fought back with rebounding and standout play from juniors Missy Rome, Kylie Shufflebarger and Cassidy Bristol.
McLouth came out of the gate flat on offense in the early going as North built a 12-2 lead thanks in part to two 3-pointers by Kramer. McLouth got its first field goal on a 3-pointer by freshman Terri Stewart with time running out to cut the lead to 12-5 entering the second quarter.
JCN’s lead reached double digits again before McLouth trimmed it to 7 midway through the second quarter. North senior Lisa Weishaar hit a 3-pointer with 57 seconds left in the half to make it 35-22 JCN and that held at halftime.
McLouth quickly proved to be playing better in the second half as Shufflebarger hit a short jumper and Rome answered a score by North junior Mallory GrandPre with a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 10. The Bulldogs cut the lead to 6 on a 3-pointer by freshman Morgan Drinnon but the Chargers again built it back to 10 points at 43-33. Rome hit a turnaround jumper off a Shufflebarger defensive rebound, Bristol scored off a Stewart defensive rebound and a Shufflebarger blocked shot was turned into a 3-pointer by Rome and the lead quickly shrank to 43-40 JCN with 1:17 left in the quarter. Two Kramer free throws made the score 45-40 North entering the fourth quarter.
McLouth kept the pressure on going into the final period as Shufflebarger started the quarter with a jumper to cut the lead back to 3 and then scored off a Rome blocked shot to cut the lead to 1. McLouth had a chance to take the lead but turned the ball over and GrandPre hit a jumper in the lane to make it 47-44 North. Drinnon answered with a bank-in 3-pointer to tie the game for the first time since the game’s start with 6:37 left in the game.
After a JCN timeout, North junior Sara Navinskey hit a 3-pointer to give North back the lead and senior Amelia Noll scored off an offensive rebound to make the lead 5 for the Chargers once more. North was able to build the lead back to 9 on scores by sophomore Katie Noll before the Bulldogs made another run. A Shufflebarger score was followed by a Shufflebarger blocked shot that turned into a Rome 3-pointer, Amelia Noll was whistled for an offensive foul and Bristol scored off an offensive rebound to cut the JCN lead to 56-54 and force a Charger timeout with 1:35 left.
GrandPre hit one of two free throws to make the lead 3 but McLouth cut the lead back to 1 and then took the lead on a steal and lay-in by Rome as JCN tried to run down the clock. The score came with 35 seconds left and Rome came up with another steal on North’s next possession as McLouth took a timeout with 22 seconds left.
North was forced to foul three times to get the Bulldogs to the bonus free throw situation and Drinnon drew a foul with 10 seconds left and McLouth up by 1 at 58-57. The freshman missed the front end of the one-and-one free throws and GrandPre pulled down the rebound. The Chargers advanced the ball to half-court before calling a timeout with 5.8 seconds left. The ball was inbounded to Kramer on the left wing and, with an uncontested shot, the Charger freshman sank a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left to give JCN a 60-58 lead. McLouth called a timeout immediately to set up a final attempt to tie the game or win it. The ball was inbounded to Rome, who passed up a long desperation shot to pass the ball downcourt. The Bulldogs couldn’t get a shot off and North took home the 2-point win to improve to 5-0. McLouth fell to 3-3.
JCN head coach Steve Noll said the final play that resulted in Kramer’s winning shot was set up for Kramer to get the ball and, when the defender came out to cover her, look to pass the ball inside for a better shot. When no defender came out to cover Kramer, she stepped up and made the winning shot.
“We had our ups and downs tonight, but it was a whole team effort,” Noll said. “We were up 13 at halftime, which was nice, but I knew they were gonna make a run. We got a little shaky there. I think that month layoff here really made a difference on both sides. We had Amelia covering Rome and she was getting worn down, which is dangerous when you’re playing Rome. Everybody did their part in their own way tonight. We need to play teams that are good like this. We’ve talked about playing all the way through and how you can’t get down when you have downs. It’s a good win for us.”
GrandPre led the way for North with 20 points and 7 rebounds. Kramer added 13 points and Katie Noll chipped in 10 points, including some key scores down the stretch.
Rome led all scorers with 25 points for the Bulldogs and pulled down 5 rebounds with 5 steals. Shufflebarger added 14 points and 4 rebounds and Bristol scored 7 points with 9 rebounds.
North led the rebounding battle, 13-11, at halftime, but McLouth flipped it around to lead overall in the game in that category, 26-24. This was balanced by 14 McLouth turnovers compared to only 11 for North.
North boys 49, McLouth 26
The varsity boys’ game was a close contest for about the first quarter-and-a-half before North ran off with the game to improve to 3-2.
McLouth dropped to 0-6.
One key to the game came on the boards as JCN outrebounded the Bulldogs, 26-8, in the game. The Chargers also got 17 McLouth turnovers while committing only 10.
The game was tight throughout the first quarter as both teams held a 3-point lead at one point. When the dust settled, a late jumper by North senior Matt Perry gave North a 13-12 lead entering the second quarter.
North began to pull away in the second quarter as the Chargers scored the first 7 points of the quarter to build the lead to 20-12 with 5:27 to play in the half. The lead reached 11 before McLouth cut it back to 6 on a 3-pointer by senior Derrick Crouse to make the halftime score 24-18 JCN.
Both teams got out to a slow start in the third quarter as JCN’s lead was 27-18 with 5:28 left in the quarter. McLouth kept the deficit in single digits for the most part but JCN had a 35-24 lead going into the fourth quarter.
McLouth scored the first 2 points of the fourth quarter but wouldn’t score again as North finished the game on a 14-point run to go home with a 49-26 win.
JCN junior Nick Clark led North with 10 points as 10 different Chargers scored in the win. Junior Tyler Noll added 8 points and grabbed 6 rebounds for the Chargers. McLouth was led by 10 points from Crouse.
JCN head coach Jim Brickell said it was nice for his team to start the post-holiday schedule on a good note.
“We lost our last two games coming in, so you worry a little bit about that first game coming back,” Brickell said. “We clicked better offensively the second half and the boys played hard. That’s a key for our team – playing hard the whole game. I also thought defensively we played much better the second half, too.”
The Chargers did so Friday in McLouth, but it wasn’t easy as a 13-point JCN halftime lead dwindled to the point McLouth led by 1 with less than 10 seconds left. North freshman Jordan Kramer hit the biggest shot of her high school career thus far with a game-winning 3-pointer to give JCN a 60-58 win.
A combination of rebounding and defense helped the Chargers build their healthy halftime lead but McLouth fought back with rebounding and standout play from juniors Missy Rome, Kylie Shufflebarger and Cassidy Bristol.
McLouth came out of the gate flat on offense in the early going as North built a 12-2 lead thanks in part to two 3-pointers by Kramer. McLouth got its first field goal on a 3-pointer by freshman Terri Stewart with time running out to cut the lead to 12-5 entering the second quarter.
JCN’s lead reached double digits again before McLouth trimmed it to 7 midway through the second quarter. North senior Lisa Weishaar hit a 3-pointer with 57 seconds left in the half to make it 35-22 JCN and that held at halftime.
McLouth quickly proved to be playing better in the second half as Shufflebarger hit a short jumper and Rome answered a score by North junior Mallory GrandPre with a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 10. The Bulldogs cut the lead to 6 on a 3-pointer by freshman Morgan Drinnon but the Chargers again built it back to 10 points at 43-33. Rome hit a turnaround jumper off a Shufflebarger defensive rebound, Bristol scored off a Stewart defensive rebound and a Shufflebarger blocked shot was turned into a 3-pointer by Rome and the lead quickly shrank to 43-40 JCN with 1:17 left in the quarter. Two Kramer free throws made the score 45-40 North entering the fourth quarter.
McLouth kept the pressure on going into the final period as Shufflebarger started the quarter with a jumper to cut the lead back to 3 and then scored off a Rome blocked shot to cut the lead to 1. McLouth had a chance to take the lead but turned the ball over and GrandPre hit a jumper in the lane to make it 47-44 North. Drinnon answered with a bank-in 3-pointer to tie the game for the first time since the game’s start with 6:37 left in the game.
After a JCN timeout, North junior Sara Navinskey hit a 3-pointer to give North back the lead and senior Amelia Noll scored off an offensive rebound to make the lead 5 for the Chargers once more. North was able to build the lead back to 9 on scores by sophomore Katie Noll before the Bulldogs made another run. A Shufflebarger score was followed by a Shufflebarger blocked shot that turned into a Rome 3-pointer, Amelia Noll was whistled for an offensive foul and Bristol scored off an offensive rebound to cut the JCN lead to 56-54 and force a Charger timeout with 1:35 left.
GrandPre hit one of two free throws to make the lead 3 but McLouth cut the lead back to 1 and then took the lead on a steal and lay-in by Rome as JCN tried to run down the clock. The score came with 35 seconds left and Rome came up with another steal on North’s next possession as McLouth took a timeout with 22 seconds left.
North was forced to foul three times to get the Bulldogs to the bonus free throw situation and Drinnon drew a foul with 10 seconds left and McLouth up by 1 at 58-57. The freshman missed the front end of the one-and-one free throws and GrandPre pulled down the rebound. The Chargers advanced the ball to half-court before calling a timeout with 5.8 seconds left. The ball was inbounded to Kramer on the left wing and, with an uncontested shot, the Charger freshman sank a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left to give JCN a 60-58 lead. McLouth called a timeout immediately to set up a final attempt to tie the game or win it. The ball was inbounded to Rome, who passed up a long desperation shot to pass the ball downcourt. The Bulldogs couldn’t get a shot off and North took home the 2-point win to improve to 5-0. McLouth fell to 3-3.
JCN head coach Steve Noll said the final play that resulted in Kramer’s winning shot was set up for Kramer to get the ball and, when the defender came out to cover her, look to pass the ball inside for a better shot. When no defender came out to cover Kramer, she stepped up and made the winning shot.
“We had our ups and downs tonight, but it was a whole team effort,” Noll said. “We were up 13 at halftime, which was nice, but I knew they were gonna make a run. We got a little shaky there. I think that month layoff here really made a difference on both sides. We had Amelia covering Rome and she was getting worn down, which is dangerous when you’re playing Rome. Everybody did their part in their own way tonight. We need to play teams that are good like this. We’ve talked about playing all the way through and how you can’t get down when you have downs. It’s a good win for us.”
GrandPre led the way for North with 20 points and 7 rebounds. Kramer added 13 points and Katie Noll chipped in 10 points, including some key scores down the stretch.
Rome led all scorers with 25 points for the Bulldogs and pulled down 5 rebounds with 5 steals. Shufflebarger added 14 points and 4 rebounds and Bristol scored 7 points with 9 rebounds.
North led the rebounding battle, 13-11, at halftime, but McLouth flipped it around to lead overall in the game in that category, 26-24. This was balanced by 14 McLouth turnovers compared to only 11 for North.
North boys 49, McLouth 26
The varsity boys’ game was a close contest for about the first quarter-and-a-half before North ran off with the game to improve to 3-2.
McLouth dropped to 0-6.
One key to the game came on the boards as JCN outrebounded the Bulldogs, 26-8, in the game. The Chargers also got 17 McLouth turnovers while committing only 10.
The game was tight throughout the first quarter as both teams held a 3-point lead at one point. When the dust settled, a late jumper by North senior Matt Perry gave North a 13-12 lead entering the second quarter.
North began to pull away in the second quarter as the Chargers scored the first 7 points of the quarter to build the lead to 20-12 with 5:27 to play in the half. The lead reached 11 before McLouth cut it back to 6 on a 3-pointer by senior Derrick Crouse to make the halftime score 24-18 JCN.
Both teams got out to a slow start in the third quarter as JCN’s lead was 27-18 with 5:28 left in the quarter. McLouth kept the deficit in single digits for the most part but JCN had a 35-24 lead going into the fourth quarter.
McLouth scored the first 2 points of the fourth quarter but wouldn’t score again as North finished the game on a 14-point run to go home with a 49-26 win.
JCN junior Nick Clark led North with 10 points as 10 different Chargers scored in the win. Junior Tyler Noll added 8 points and grabbed 6 rebounds for the Chargers. McLouth was led by 10 points from Crouse.
JCN head coach Jim Brickell said it was nice for his team to start the post-holiday schedule on a good note.
“We lost our last two games coming in, so you worry a little bit about that first game coming back,” Brickell said. “We clicked better offensively the second half and the boys played hard. That’s a key for our team – playing hard the whole game. I also thought defensively we played much better the second half, too.”
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
JCN girls bring home hardware
When the dust had settled Saturday on the Jefferson County North girls’ 50-30 win over KC Christian in the championship game of the Delaware Valley League Preseason Basketball Tournament in Oskaloosa, head coach Steve Noll didn’t focus on the fact the win marked his 100th varsity victory.
He was happy to focus on his team’s second straight DVL Tourney title instead.
The Chargers used a mix of strong pressure defense and tenacious rebounding to rack up a 12-2 second quarter that gave them all the room they needed for the 20-point win.
North dominated the Panthers on the boards, with a 27-10 advantage in rebounds in the first half and a 47-23 advantage overall. The Chargers also forced 25 turnovers while committing only 15 themselves.
The win capped a tournament run that saw the Chargers rout Immaculata and come back from a double-digit deficit to beat the host Oskaloosa Bears in the semifinals.
The Panthers stayed close in the first quarter and led midway through on a 3-pointer by senior Sarah Hawthorne. JCN regained the lead on a turnaround jumper by junior Mallory GrandPre and, after a steal by senior Devin Gigstad, junior Sara Navinskey drilled a 3-pointer to make it 12-8 North. After a jumpball gave the ball back to North, GrandPre scored on a lay-in to make it 14-8 and force a KCC timeout. North stretched the lead to 16-9 but Hawthorne hit another 3-pointer and North settled for a 17-12 lead entering the second quarter.
JCN cranked up the full-court pressure defense in the second quarter and it paid off, as 3 points by senior Amelia Noll stretched the Charger lead to 8. The Panthers didn’t get their first point of the quarter until the 5:01 mark and they wouldn’t hit a field goal attempt in the quarter. JCN ended the quarter on a 7-2 run to take a 29-14 lead into the locker room at halftime.
JCN’s 17-rebound advantage in the first half continued to hold true in the third quarter as North grabbed two offensive rebounds on its first possession of the half. On the Chargers’ next possession, senior Lisa Weishaar hit a 3-pointer that made the score 33-14 JCN. A Gigstad lay-in off an Amelia Noll pass pushed the lead to 21 and reached 22 at its peak before a late KCC score cut it to 40-20 entering the fourth quarter.
North held the line in the fourth quarter as Steve Noll cleared the bench with his team up 20 and about 5 minutes left in the game. The bench extended the lead to 23 but Hawthorne hit a final 3-pointer to make the final score 50-30 JCN.
Gigstad led the way for JCN with 13 points and finished just shy of a double-double with 9 rebounds. Amelia Noll and GrandPre finished with 7 points each and grabbed 7 and 8 rebounds, respectively. Freshman Jordan Kramer also had 7 rebounds for North. KCC was led by Hawthorne’s 9 points and 6 rebounds from junior Danielle Trott.
Noll said the only person who knew the game would be his 100th varsity win was his wife, and he said with a laugh he was hoping she would have kept the fact under her hat.
“That other stuff doesn’t really matter,” he said. North moved to 4-0 with the win. “I was really wanting to win two tournaments in a row, though. We expected them to come out a lot more aggressively than they did. We got down a bit coming out of the chute versus Oskaloosa but we need to start coming out at the start like we did today. We had three goals coming in – contest every shot, keep the pressure on them and control the boards – and I thought we did all of those things. Devin hit the boards really well for us. For the most part I’m pleased with everybody today. We’ll enjoy tonight and tomorrow and come back Monday ready to practice. It was a whole team effort today.”
In other county action, Oskaloosa defeated Horton, 42-41, for third place and McLouth defeated Jackson Heights, 62-56, for fifth place. Valley Falls placed 10th with a 40-35 loss to Troy in the ninth place game.
Oskaloosa boys defeat Valley Falls for fifth
On the boys’ side, the top county game came down to the fifth-place matchup between the host Bears and the Valley Falls Dragons, which Oskaloosa took by a 47-44 count.
Both teams entered with a 2-2 record on the season. Oskaloosa fell to Wathena in the first round while Valley Falls lost to eventual tourney champion KC Christian in the quarterfinals. Oskaloosa bounced back to win a tight game over JCN in the consolation semifinals while Valley Falls outlasted Horton by 4 points to set up the intracounty rivalry game for fifth.
The first half was nip-and-tuck as the teams traded scores throughout the first quarter to enter the second quarter tied at 12. Valley Falls got a 3-pointer from sophomore Alex Nottingham to open the scoring in the second quarter but the teams continued to stay close. The Bears took a 4-point lead with about 3 minutes left in the half but Dragons junior Riley Bunde hit a hook shot and senior Josh Kearney scored off a Bunde defensive rebound to tie the game. Nottingham hit a jumper to give the Dragons a 2-point lead with 1:20 left in the half but Bears sophomore Adam Bowser hit a 3-pointer with time dwindling to give Oskaloosa a 24-23 halftime lead.
Oskaloosa got some breathing room in the third quarter as the Bears started the half on a 6-point run to open up a 7-point lead. Dragons senior Ray Cook scored off a steal by junior Mitchell Streeter to get Valley Falls on the scoreboard with 4:34 to go in the quarter. The Dragons would have multiple chances to cut into the Bears’ lead, which held at 7 and became 9 on two free throws by senior post player Chase Tenpeny. The lead held there as the Bears took a 38-29 advantage into the fourth quarter.
The Dragons wouldn’t go away, though, as senior T.J. Breese hit a 3-pointer to start the scoring in the fourth quarter and a Cook short jumper cut the lead to 6 with about 4:30 to go in the game. Nottingham scored off a steal and then hit two free throws on the Dragons’ next possession to cut it to 43-41 Bears with 2:28 left. Dragons senior Dylan McKnight scored off a Cook steal to tie the game with about a minute to play but Bears senior guard J.T. Thurston hit two free throws with 53 seconds left to give the lead back to Oskaloosa.
Kearney hit one of two free throws with 33 seconds left to cut the lead to 1 but Tenpenny hit two free throws on the other end with 16 seconds left to make it 47-44 Oskaloosa. The Bears had a chance to put the game away but Thurston missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw situation and Bunde pulled down the rebound with 4 seconds left and the Dragons called a quick timeout.
With 2.9 seconds left and the ball at three-quarter court, Nottingham inbounded the ball and Tenpenny knocked it out of bounds with 1.5 seconds left. Nottingham got the ball to Cook for a game-tying 3-point attempt at the buzzer but two Bears got over on defense and blocked the shot to secure the 47-44 win.
Oskaloosa was led by 18 points and 6 rebounds from Tenpenny and 10 points and 5 rebounds from Thurston. Valley Falls was led by 15 points and 8 rebounds from Bunde and 11 points from Nottingham. Cook added 7 points and 5 rebounds.
The game proved to be a tight one even in the stats as both teams grabbed 17 rebounds and Valley Falls had 14 turnovers compared to 11 for the Bears.
Bears coach Rod Stottlemire said his team had its hopes set on better than fifth place but he was happy overall with his team’s performance.
“We only have three kids that played varsity last year,” Stottlemire said. “We’re still trying to find ourselves a little bit out there. I’ve been a lot happier with our defense the last couple games. I think the tournament showed the league this year is really even. We got a little crazy with the ball there in the fourth quarter but we play too fast sometimes. If I can get them to play 90 percent fast rather than 110 percent fast, we do a lot better.”
In other county action, Horton routed JCN for seventh place, 76-42, and, in the 11th place game, Jackson Heights defeated McLouth, 59-46.
He was happy to focus on his team’s second straight DVL Tourney title instead.
The Chargers used a mix of strong pressure defense and tenacious rebounding to rack up a 12-2 second quarter that gave them all the room they needed for the 20-point win.
North dominated the Panthers on the boards, with a 27-10 advantage in rebounds in the first half and a 47-23 advantage overall. The Chargers also forced 25 turnovers while committing only 15 themselves.
The win capped a tournament run that saw the Chargers rout Immaculata and come back from a double-digit deficit to beat the host Oskaloosa Bears in the semifinals.
The Panthers stayed close in the first quarter and led midway through on a 3-pointer by senior Sarah Hawthorne. JCN regained the lead on a turnaround jumper by junior Mallory GrandPre and, after a steal by senior Devin Gigstad, junior Sara Navinskey drilled a 3-pointer to make it 12-8 North. After a jumpball gave the ball back to North, GrandPre scored on a lay-in to make it 14-8 and force a KCC timeout. North stretched the lead to 16-9 but Hawthorne hit another 3-pointer and North settled for a 17-12 lead entering the second quarter.
JCN cranked up the full-court pressure defense in the second quarter and it paid off, as 3 points by senior Amelia Noll stretched the Charger lead to 8. The Panthers didn’t get their first point of the quarter until the 5:01 mark and they wouldn’t hit a field goal attempt in the quarter. JCN ended the quarter on a 7-2 run to take a 29-14 lead into the locker room at halftime.
JCN’s 17-rebound advantage in the first half continued to hold true in the third quarter as North grabbed two offensive rebounds on its first possession of the half. On the Chargers’ next possession, senior Lisa Weishaar hit a 3-pointer that made the score 33-14 JCN. A Gigstad lay-in off an Amelia Noll pass pushed the lead to 21 and reached 22 at its peak before a late KCC score cut it to 40-20 entering the fourth quarter.
North held the line in the fourth quarter as Steve Noll cleared the bench with his team up 20 and about 5 minutes left in the game. The bench extended the lead to 23 but Hawthorne hit a final 3-pointer to make the final score 50-30 JCN.
Gigstad led the way for JCN with 13 points and finished just shy of a double-double with 9 rebounds. Amelia Noll and GrandPre finished with 7 points each and grabbed 7 and 8 rebounds, respectively. Freshman Jordan Kramer also had 7 rebounds for North. KCC was led by Hawthorne’s 9 points and 6 rebounds from junior Danielle Trott.
Noll said the only person who knew the game would be his 100th varsity win was his wife, and he said with a laugh he was hoping she would have kept the fact under her hat.
“That other stuff doesn’t really matter,” he said. North moved to 4-0 with the win. “I was really wanting to win two tournaments in a row, though. We expected them to come out a lot more aggressively than they did. We got down a bit coming out of the chute versus Oskaloosa but we need to start coming out at the start like we did today. We had three goals coming in – contest every shot, keep the pressure on them and control the boards – and I thought we did all of those things. Devin hit the boards really well for us. For the most part I’m pleased with everybody today. We’ll enjoy tonight and tomorrow and come back Monday ready to practice. It was a whole team effort today.”
In other county action, Oskaloosa defeated Horton, 42-41, for third place and McLouth defeated Jackson Heights, 62-56, for fifth place. Valley Falls placed 10th with a 40-35 loss to Troy in the ninth place game.
Oskaloosa boys defeat Valley Falls for fifth
On the boys’ side, the top county game came down to the fifth-place matchup between the host Bears and the Valley Falls Dragons, which Oskaloosa took by a 47-44 count.
Both teams entered with a 2-2 record on the season. Oskaloosa fell to Wathena in the first round while Valley Falls lost to eventual tourney champion KC Christian in the quarterfinals. Oskaloosa bounced back to win a tight game over JCN in the consolation semifinals while Valley Falls outlasted Horton by 4 points to set up the intracounty rivalry game for fifth.
The first half was nip-and-tuck as the teams traded scores throughout the first quarter to enter the second quarter tied at 12. Valley Falls got a 3-pointer from sophomore Alex Nottingham to open the scoring in the second quarter but the teams continued to stay close. The Bears took a 4-point lead with about 3 minutes left in the half but Dragons junior Riley Bunde hit a hook shot and senior Josh Kearney scored off a Bunde defensive rebound to tie the game. Nottingham hit a jumper to give the Dragons a 2-point lead with 1:20 left in the half but Bears sophomore Adam Bowser hit a 3-pointer with time dwindling to give Oskaloosa a 24-23 halftime lead.
Oskaloosa got some breathing room in the third quarter as the Bears started the half on a 6-point run to open up a 7-point lead. Dragons senior Ray Cook scored off a steal by junior Mitchell Streeter to get Valley Falls on the scoreboard with 4:34 to go in the quarter. The Dragons would have multiple chances to cut into the Bears’ lead, which held at 7 and became 9 on two free throws by senior post player Chase Tenpeny. The lead held there as the Bears took a 38-29 advantage into the fourth quarter.
The Dragons wouldn’t go away, though, as senior T.J. Breese hit a 3-pointer to start the scoring in the fourth quarter and a Cook short jumper cut the lead to 6 with about 4:30 to go in the game. Nottingham scored off a steal and then hit two free throws on the Dragons’ next possession to cut it to 43-41 Bears with 2:28 left. Dragons senior Dylan McKnight scored off a Cook steal to tie the game with about a minute to play but Bears senior guard J.T. Thurston hit two free throws with 53 seconds left to give the lead back to Oskaloosa.
Kearney hit one of two free throws with 33 seconds left to cut the lead to 1 but Tenpenny hit two free throws on the other end with 16 seconds left to make it 47-44 Oskaloosa. The Bears had a chance to put the game away but Thurston missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw situation and Bunde pulled down the rebound with 4 seconds left and the Dragons called a quick timeout.
With 2.9 seconds left and the ball at three-quarter court, Nottingham inbounded the ball and Tenpenny knocked it out of bounds with 1.5 seconds left. Nottingham got the ball to Cook for a game-tying 3-point attempt at the buzzer but two Bears got over on defense and blocked the shot to secure the 47-44 win.
Oskaloosa was led by 18 points and 6 rebounds from Tenpenny and 10 points and 5 rebounds from Thurston. Valley Falls was led by 15 points and 8 rebounds from Bunde and 11 points from Nottingham. Cook added 7 points and 5 rebounds.
The game proved to be a tight one even in the stats as both teams grabbed 17 rebounds and Valley Falls had 14 turnovers compared to 11 for the Bears.
Bears coach Rod Stottlemire said his team had its hopes set on better than fifth place but he was happy overall with his team’s performance.
“We only have three kids that played varsity last year,” Stottlemire said. “We’re still trying to find ourselves a little bit out there. I’ve been a lot happier with our defense the last couple games. I think the tournament showed the league this year is really even. We got a little crazy with the ball there in the fourth quarter but we play too fast sometimes. If I can get them to play 90 percent fast rather than 110 percent fast, we do a lot better.”
In other county action, Horton routed JCN for seventh place, 76-42, and, in the 11th place game, Jackson Heights defeated McLouth, 59-46.
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