The CGD girls varsity traveled down to Webster City last Monday and took home a 44-31 win over the Lynx. They held only a slim advantage at 19-18 at the break, but used a strong third quarter to open up a 31-21 lead going into the final eight minutes.
The team shot 47.7 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from the line. They made no three-point shots in four tries. They had 33 total rebounds (23 defensively), 13 total assists, eight total steals and a blocked shot. Two players reached double digits in scoring, as Morgan Middleton dropped in 13 points on a nice 6 of 8. Jadyn Jondle was equal to the task in the scoring department as she managed 12 points on 6 of 9 from the field. Lienemann finished with seven points, Raven Kinnetz six points and Lexie Lane, Nicole Waters and Alaina Friesleben all chipped in a bucket each.
Jondle went up for seven rebounds, followed by Friesleben with six and Kinnetz five. Lane, Middleton and Waters all grabbed four caroms each, with Lienemann getting her hands on two and Emma Conlon one. Kinnetz dished the ball for six assists, with Jondle and Lienemann making two apiece. Lane, Waters and Friesleben were all credited with one each. Kinnetz picked pockets for three steals, with Jondle, Lienemann, Lane, Middleton and Conlon making one theft each. Middleton added a blocked shot to her final stat line.
“We got off to a slow start,” stated head coach Liz Ennis. “We hadn’t touched a basketball in five days and it showed. Our second half was better. We did a better job of rebounding and playing defense.”
On Tuesday they took another win 52-43 over Hampton-Dumont/CAL in Hampton. They held a slim 23-22 halftime margin, and after going down 36-32 to start the final eight minutes they staged a nice comeback to pull it out.
The team shot 44.9 percent from the field, 55.6 percent from the line and 30 percent from beyond the arc. They had 26 total rebounds (16 on defense), 17 total assists, eight total steals and one blocked shot. Jondle netted 15 points on 7 of 12 with a trey. Lane scored 12 points with a trey and Keller nine points. Kinnetz and Middleton made six points each and Lienemann four points.
Lane ripped down seven rebounds, followed by Jondle with six and Middleton with four. Lienemann and Keller got their mitts on three caroms each, Kinnetz two and Conlon one. Lane dished out seven assists, with Kinnetz at four and Jondle three. Middleton set up the ball twice for others while Lienemann had one assist. Kinnetz picked off three steals, Jondle and Keller two each and Lienemann one. Keller added a blocked shot to her stat line.
“We got out to a decent start, but let them back in during the second quarter,” said Ennis. “The Bulldogs made some halftime adjustments of their own and came out shooting pretty well. We had to go from zone to man to man as a result. The girls were determined to come back in the fourth quarter. Jadyn scored 11 of her points in that final quarter, and we got help from Lexie and Kendall as well. We came back with confidence and ended up winning. Raven had a tough night scoring, but came up with steals, assists and 11 deflections. Emma Keller had a breakout game with a career high and was a spark for us off the bench.”
They finished the schedule with a make-up game at Humboldt on Friday, and lost 65-62 to the Wildcats. It was 33-31 Cowgirls at the break. The team shot 49.1 percent from the field, 22.2 percent from the charity stripe and 28.6 percent from three-point land. They had 32 total rebounds (25 defensively), 22 total assists, six total steals and five total blocked shots.
Three ladies finished in double digit scoring, with Kinnetz heading that group at 18 points on 50 percent from the field. Lane knocked down 17 points with three treys, while Middleton scored 14 points on 7 of 10 from the field. Jondle chipped in four points and Keller two points.
Middleton reached a double-double by also cleaning the glass for 10 rebounds. Lane grabbed seven caroms, Jondle six, Conlon four and Lienemann three. Kinnetz and Waters made one each. Kinnetz dished the pumpkin for seven assists and Middleton six. Lane finished with four, Conlon two and Jondle, Lienemann and Keller all one apiece. Kinnetz, Lienemann and Lane all picked pockets for two steals each, while Middleton swatted down two shots and Jondle, Lienemann and Keller one block each.
“It was refreshing to go to Humboldt where they allow unlimited fans,” said Ennis. “I told the girls to call their parents and friends and invite as many as possible. These girls have needed fans in the stands all year long. We had a great start again, Humboldt got hot from the three-point line in the second period in closing the gap. The third quarter was back and forth but we still held a lead. Unfortunately, we hurried some shots and threw the ball away a couple times in the fourth. We regained some composure with a quick hitter by Raven following a timeout. The next timeout and quick hitter fell short and we ran out of time. This game was a lesson in knowing how to keep a lead and having patience. I’ve told the girls before that there is no shot clock. When we have a lead, we need to work for the best shot and cannot panic. We must make good passes. It really was a great, competitive game, but the score just ended the wrong way. I was still proud of the effort our girls put forth.”
