After being down at halftime, the 12th rated (3A) Cowgirl basketball team battled back with a strong second half to take a 60-53 win at Southeast Valley on November 23. The Jaguars were up 34-26 at halftime, then saw the Cowgirls outscore them 34 points to 19 over the second half for the win.
Raven Kinnetz poured in 22 points on 8 of 12 from the field and two treys. Morgan Middleton scored 16 points on 6 of 9 from the field. Jadyn Jondle added nine points, Lexie Lane five points and both Emma Conlon and Emma Keller four points each. Jondle led in board work, ripping down nine rebounds followed by Middleton powering underneath for eight. Alaina Friesleben had five, Kinnetz and Keller four each and Lane three. Conlon and Nicole Waters finished at one carom each.
Jondle and Lane had four assists each, with Kinnetz making three and Friesleben two. Kinnetz picked pockets for four steals, followed by Jondle, Conlon, Friesleben and Lane all chipping in one each. Jondle also went up for a blocked shot.
“The Jaguars are a much improved team from last year,” stated head coach Liz Ennis. “They were aggressive on offense, spreading the floor and driving to the basket. We were down by ten points in the third quarter, but battled our way back to take a one-point lead after three. We kept working hard to get defensive stops and got the ball inside or drove to the hoop on offense. We were up by ten, but SEV put up a three-pointer at the buzzer. I was proud of the girls for battling back after a rough second quarter. Our seniors showed great leadership.”
On November 30 they hosted Eagle Grove and came away with a big 70-41 win over the Eagles. After spotting the visitors a 13-11 lead after one quarter, the Cowgirls buckled down and outscored them 23 points to eight to be up 34-21 at the break.
The ladies shot 50.8 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from the line and 26.7 percent from three-point range. They had 39 total rebounds, 21 total assists and 12 total steals.
Four players reached double digit scoring. Middleton poured in 18 points on 8 of 10 from the field, with Kinnetz close behind at 16 points. Jondle scored 15 points including three bombs from long-range. Lane tossed in 12 points. Keller finished with four points, Waters three points and Delia Swanson two points. Middleton had a double-double in getting her mitts on 13 rebounds, followed by Lane with six, Friesleben with five and Jondle and Conlon with four each. Kinnetz and Keller had three each and Swanson one.
Jondle dished the pumpkin for six assists and Middleton five. Kinnetz made four, Conlon three, Lane two and Waters one. Conlon picked off four steals, with Kinnetz getting three and Middleton two. Jondle, Friesleben and Lane all had one each. Jondle, Kinnetz and Middleton all managed a blocked shot each.
“We came out sort of flat in the first quarter,” said Ennis. “To the Eagles credit, they had a great plan of attack against our man to man defense. When we began putting on full court pressure, we were able to get some quick buckets and convert on the offensive end. I was really pleased with the way we shared the ball and that showed in our balanced scoring.”
On Tuesday they downed South Hardin 52-28, and took a 33-12 lead into halftime. The team shot for 37.0 percent from the field, 38.9 percent from the line and 20.0 percent from three-point land. They grabbed 37 total rebounds, made 15 total assists and 17 total steals. Kinnetz knocked down 14 points with a three-pointer included, while Middleton put 11 points through the nets on 5 of 8 from the field. Lane scored seven points with one trey, Jondle six points and Conlon, Friesleben and Waters all four points each. Keller made two free throws to add to the total.
Middleton nearly had a double-double in grabbing nine rebounds. Friesleben finished with seven, Lane six and Jondle four. Kinnetz, Conlon and Keller all had three caroms each and Waters two. Kinnetz picked off nine steals, with Jondle, Conlon and Lane all at two each. Friesleben and Middleton added one apiece. Middleton went vertical for six big blocked shots, with Friesleben making one.
“We began this game strong,” said Ennis. “I thought the girls played great defense in the first quarter and didn’t necessarily want to abandon it, but we decided to put some full court pressure into a zone defense to begin the second period. We were able to force turnovers and grab quite a few steals with the press in building a nice halftime lead. I am very proud of the confidence these girls are building.”
On Friday night they won their fourth game of the season 54-17 over St. Edmond. They held a commanding 26-9 halftime advantage. The ladies in red & black shot 47.1 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from the line and 55.6 percent from three-point range. They grabbed 24 total rebounds, made 14 total assists and had 26 total steals.
Kinnetz finished with 19 points with three treys included. Middleton had 15 points, Lane nine with a trey and both Jondle and Keller four apiece. Conlon popped in a three-pointer as her total. Middleton had five rebounds, Jondle and Waters three assists each and Kinnetz seven steals.
“We started a bit slow, but quickly changed our defensive intensity by the second quarter,” said Ennis. “We held them to just nine first-half points, but only had 26 of our own. The Gaels got after rebounds and played rather physical, which is something we will need to get used to. I liked our ball movement on offense, even though it seemed we missed more shots in this game. We’ll need to clean up our play on both ends of the court before we face the better caliber teams in the next couple weeks. The girls are understanding their roles. All of them can score, and there will be nights when they will, but I really like to see our defensive intensity and the sharing of the ball on offense.”
