Warriors continue winning into playoffs
The Warrior defense—including Gracie Cummer (left) and Hannah Asche—helped propel the team to a win over Tripoli. (Photos by Bev Hamann)
Carly Kluesner works past a Tripoli defender in Central’s postseason opener.
Warrior Lexi Loan takes the ball up the court versus the Panthers.
Haley Frieden plays tough defense on Tripoli's leading scorer, Kylee Bartz.
By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register
The Central girls basketball team survived a low scoring affair against Kee to win its final regular season game 38-28 last week, giving them an overall record of 18-4. The Warriors were 13-3 in the Upper Iowa Conference, finishing second behind MFL MarMac. Then, it was on to the playoffs in the Class 1A - Region 4 first round, where they won a nail biter versus the Tripoli Panthers.
The final regular season game against the Hawks had all the makings of a trap game for the Warriors.
The team shot just 27.7 percent from the field and made only eight of 14 free throws, with Haley Frieden leading the way with 14 points. Hannah Asche supplied eight points, while Grace Kuehl finished with seven and Aly Feickert had four.
According to coach Mark Wiley, the low score was due not to the team looking ahead, but because of a lack of available players. The team was most notably missing Delaney and Ashlyn Scherf, and Lexi Loan was used sparingly.
“No looking ahead for us—one game at a time. A lot of players are sick right now and we are trying to get healthy…the eight kids that played at Kee…showed a lot of heart and determination, as many kids are struggling physically with some illness. Only resting kids because we have to,” Wiley said.
Without the presence of the Scherfs, the burden fell to Frieden, the team’s second leading scorer behind only D. Scherf. She was aided by the emerging Asche and Kuehl, who has almost tripled her point total from a year ago, going from 45 last season to 133 this year. Gracie Cummer, who didn’t score a point last season, has totaled 84 so far this year.
Wiley attributes some of this to the team’s “aggressiveness on the defensive end.”
“Gracie Cummer is a hard worker and has learned to get good position in the post area. Her work in the off season has elevated her game to the next level. Grace Kuehl has had to have the basketball in her hands a lot more as Delaney has been sick since before the MFL game. I am impressed with her seven assists in the game last night. Shows her ability to see the floor and get the basketball to open teammates,” he said.
It has been Central’s aggressive defense that has carried them through difficult stretches of the season, though. The team finished with six blocks and six steals against the Hawks, and held Kee to 25.6 percent shooting from the floor, a stat that includes the Hawks missing all nine three-point attempts. Cummer and Kuehl each finished with two steals and Frieden earned five blocks.
With the regular season over, it was on to the playoffs. Heading into the game against Tripoli, Wiley said, “On paper, we had the advantage statistically, but in the postseason, you have to expect you will get your opponent’s best effort.”
The Warriors entered the game with just nine players, and were again without D. Scherf. A. Scherf played only around eight minutes and Loan also played very little.
Luckily, the Warriors benefited from an early 14-7 lead, because afterward, the Panthers were able to keep pace, actually out-scoring Central by one point in the final three periods. Tripoli was able to continuously cut into the deficit because of Warrior turnovers, leading Wiley to remind the team “composure is key when the opponent starts ramping up the defensive effort full court.”
The Warrior offense was led by Frieden, who scored 17 points and added three assists, while Asche put up nine points. Cummer scored eight while grabbing seven rebounds, and Loan and A. Scherf combined for 12 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists. Kuehl finished with four points and seven assists.
While the defense produced 11 steals—four from Kuehl and three from Frieden—as well as forcing 22 turnovers, it’s not where Central won the game. The Panthers actually out-shot the Warriors 43.1 percent to 34.5 percent from the field. However, the 57-51 victory was due in large part because of the free throw disparity between the two teams, as the Panthers made six of just 12, while the Warriors shot 20 and made 13. The difference was enough for the Warriors to hold onto the win.
Central’s quarterfinal opponent will be a familiar one in Turkey Valley. It’s a team the Warriors have defeated twice already, but the most recent game was a close three-point win for Central when they had a healthy lineup. Whether that will be the case for the upcoming game remains to be seen.
Wiley said, “Coach s is a very good coach and she has a team that will play hard on the defensive end. We will need to execute on the offensive end with some mismatches defensively for them with our speed and ability to get to the rim. Likewise, we will need to play better on the defensive end. Tripoli was tall, but we didn’t close down passing lanes and keep them off the offensive glass. We will need to do this if we want to have a chance to win. Getting healthy will need to happen, so we can rely on our depth to help in keeping our defensive effort at top notch.”
The quarterfinal game will be at Central on Tuesday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m.
