Central girls keep finding ways to win
By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register
The Central girls basketball team fended off a fourth period comeback by Clayton Ridge to win 47-36 last week.
Delaney Scherf dominated the game, leading all scorers with 28 points, going 8-14 from the floor, 5-8 from three-point distance and 7-10 from the free throw line.
The Warriors controlled the game for three periods, holding the Eagles to 18 points total, before allowing 18 in the fourth quarter. Clayton Ridge closed the gap as the defensive pressure and fouls mounted, leading to 22 trips to the free throw line for the Eagles, allowing them to chip away.
“We did not convert around the hoop like we are capable of. I still appreciate the fight of the players and getting a win in Guttenberg is good. It is never an easy place to play,” coach Mark Wiley said.
Meanwhile, the 5-1 Warriors continue to stack up victories behind the shooting prowess and play of Delaney Scherf, who added nine rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks to her stat line. Grace Kuehl and Gracie Cummer each scored five points, while Haley Frieden picked up six rebounds, two assists, one steal and three blocks.
As a team, Central shot 26.4 percent from the floor, going 14-53, and 27.3 percent from three-point range, hitting six of 22 shots. The Warriors were also much improved at the free throw line, making 13 of 20 attempts.
But while the Warriors continue to win, the offense remains heavily dependent on Delaney Scherf and Frieden, and the shooting percentage remains low. When it comes to shooting, Wiley believes the struggles are less with the actual act of shooting than the distribution and passing of the ball and putting the shooters in a better overall position to score.
As the season goes along and the team gets more familiar with zone defenses, he also believes the players should start to get better looks from the field, improving shooting accuracy.
As for finding other scoring options, in this game specifically, Wiley said the problem was fouls. The Warriors had several players, including Kuehl, Hannah Asche and Cummer, all in foul trouble early in the game, and Kuehl actually fouled out in the fourth period. In their absence, Lexi Loan stepped up. She scored four points off the bench and led the team with five assists, finding Delaney Scherf multiple times and setting up scoring opportunities.
Defensively, the Warriors struggled with fouls, committing 21 overall, most of which allowed the Eagles to mount the comeback.
“We didn’t play defense with our feet, got caught reaching on the perimeter and gave up offensive rebounds that led to Clayton Ridge points,” Wiley added.
Still, the defense came away with 22 rebounds, with Delaney Scherf getting six, Frieden grabbing four and Cummer and Ashlyn Scherf each getting three. The Warriors also snagged 12 steals, forced 27 turnovers and blocked eight shots, holding the Eagle offense to just 23.8 percent shooting.
“We continue to improve in this category as well. Our interior defense and double teams have work to do. Sometimes our aggressive play does cause us to get into foul trouble, which was the result on Tuesday,” Wiley said.
Despite the comeback, the Warriors held on for the victory, showing composure and tenacity, qualities Wiley admitted the team did not have last season with the younger roster. And while the team did not shoot or play as well as it is capable of in the mind of Wiley, the Warriors are persevering and finding ways to win.
Central will look to continue its winning ways with a two-game slate this week. The team will play at Turkey Valley (3-1) on Dec. 14, followed by another road game against South Winneshiek (3-3) on Dec. 17.
