Central offense stalls in losses to Waukon, South Winneshiek
Surrounded by South Winn defenders, Oakley Armstrong drives to the basket in Central’s Feb. 7 loss. (Photo by Bev Hamann)
Blair Scherf prepares to shoot a three against South Winn. (Photo by Bev Hamann)
Ella Frieden searches for an open teammate in Central's game at Waukon. (Photo by Willis Patenaude)
Brylee Erickson takes the ball up the court versus Waukon. (Photo by Willis Patenaude)
By Willis Patenaude | Times-Register
Central’s strong defensive efforts weren’t enough to overcome an offense that struggled to find the basket in last week’s losses to Waukon and South Winneshiek.
The Warriors started the week out on the road against Waukon, and following an early Indian score, Central put up a shot that bounced off the rim and then the backboard—symbolism for the rest of the night on offense. The girls scored just three points in the first five minutes of the game on a Blair Scherf three-point shot. Scherf led the Warriors with 15 points, while hitting four out of five from beyond the arc.
Central closed the first quarter with an inbound pass from Layla Embretson to Scherf for two more points, but were down 14-5.
The second quarter was slightly better offensively, with two more threes by Scherf, who also added one of her three assists on an inbound pass to Embretson, who scored on the play. Embretson finished with six points. At halftime, the Warriors trailed 23-13.
“We ran our set plays well. We were competitive in the first half and did a nice job on out-of-bounds plays, scoring a couple possessions. We worked to improve our end-of-the-quarter play, as we had a chance to cut into the 10-point deficit with 12 seconds left in the half, but turned the basketball over, leading to a layup before half,” said coach Mark Wiley.
The third quarter was highlighted by a three-point play from Natalya Singleton, who was fouled on a layup and scored the subsequent free throw. The Warriors added a three from Scherf, while Waukon continued to score in the paint.
“We worked to defend the interior, but Waukon did a good job of moving the basketball and finding space in the lane. I felt, defensively, we were in good position most of the time, but giving up 44 points in the paint is tough to overcome,” Wiley said.
The Warrior offense started to come alive in the fourth period, as Scherf scored on a three-point play. There were also contributions from the bench, including three-point shots by Ella Frieden and Raelynn Coanner and a layup from Payton Stannard, putting together a 13-point quarter. Despite the effort, the Indians won 50-32.
The Warrior defense forced 15 turnovers, including six steals and one block, while limiting the Indians to 11 percent shooting on three-pointers. Scherf led the team with three steals and Singleton got the block.
Central’s offense made 30.8 percent of its shots.
“We offensively were not moving the basketball as well as we could. We had multiple shot clock violations, as we stood and expected other teammates to initiate the offense,” Wiley said.
The Warriors traveled to South Winneshiek on Feb. 7, in a game where neither offense shot over 30 percent and only scored a combined 10 points or more in a quarter three times.
Central outscored South Winneshiek 8-7 in the first quarter, and by halftime led 14-9.
“We didn’t locate perimeter shooters as well as we needed to late in the second quarter, but took a five-point lead into halftime. We offensively struggled to score, as turnovers were a key after we broke the press. We rushed in trying to make things happen and don’t stay within ourselves leading to unforced turnovers,” Wiley said.
Both offenses performed better in the third quarter, with the Warriors putting up 11 compared to South Winn’s 14 points, giving Central a slim 25-23 lead entering the fourth period.
Down the stretch, the Central offense was limited to one field goal and one made free throw, while South Winneshiek scored 12 points and stole a 35-28 victory.
“The fourth quarter was a battle for both teams. We had opportunities to score in the fourth [but] couldn’t find our offense. The defense was positive in only giving up 35 points. We just have to find a few more points, the paint and perimeter. We had six players in the scoring column; likewise, South Winn had eight players in the scoring column,” Wiley said.
The defense forced 24 turnovers, with 11 steals, including five from Royer. Central had three blocks, with two coming from Singleton.
The offense shot just 27.3 percent from the field, but converted on 60 percent of free throws. Leading the team in scoring was Embretson with eight, followed by Oakley Armstrong with six. Scherf and Royer each had five. Scherf also had team highs in assists, with three, and rebounds, with seven.
Up next for the 9-13 Warriors is a Class 1A regional game against 11-10 Edgewood-Colesburg, who defeated Central 45-32 in mid-December.
“Ed-Co has played really well after winter break and we will need to come with a top notch plan as a team defensively and be ready to defend the perimeter with a couple good shooters, and play big inside against Lilly Borisky and Ellie Kirby, who have led them offensively inside this season,” Wiley said. “We offensively will need to handle their pressure and move the basketball well against their zone defense.”
The game is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 13, at Edgewood-Colesburg. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.
