Big third quarter helps Panthers overwhelm Durant

     There were a lot of things that went well for the Monticello High School girls basketball team in its 53-27 home win over Durant Jan. 3, but one sticks out.

     After taking a 30-19 halftime lead, the Panthers outscored the Wildcats 13-1 in the third quarter to build a 23-point lead and pretty much settle the issue.

     Overall, head coach Donnie Kremer said he was pleased with how the Panthers performed in their first game after the holiday break.

     “I thought we did a very good job of shaking off the rust,” Kremer said. “We did a lot of very good things.”

     Senior Jordan Kuper had a big night, securing a double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end. She shot 9-for-17 from the field (52.9 percent).

     Also scoring in double figures were Gabrielle Steiner, who was 6-for-11 from the field and had 13 points; and Karli Recker, who came off the bench and sank three of four three-point attempts, finishing with 11 points. Bronwyn Hodge had five points and five rebounds, Tori McDonald grabbed five rebounds and made five assists, and Emily Schlarmann made two assists.

     The positives happened right from the start for the Panthers (7-1, 7-3), as they jumped to a 9-1 early lead and held an 11-4 margin after one quarter.

     “We did a nice job of defending and getting the ball inside early,” the coach said. “We got some turnovers that led to easy baskets.”

     That carried over to the rest of the game as well. Monticello had 13 steals for the game, led by Gabrielle Steiner with six and Kuper with four.

     Following a game at Northeast of Goose Lake Jan. 7, the Panthers have a big showdown at home against Cascade, the top-ranked team in Class 2A, on Friday, Jan. 10. The Cougars are 8-0 in River Valley Conference play, one game ahead of the Panthers.

     Coach Kremer said the Durant game was a good way to start the new year.

     “This was a big step in the right direction,” Kremer said. “We did not let up and kept the pressure on them for four quarters. We needed to get that win, since they upset us last year at their place.”

Jan. 3

Durant    4  15    1    7 – 27

Monti     11 19  13  10 – 53

     DURANT (27) – Ally Happ 3-8 2-5 8, Kira Schult 0-3 0-0 0, Halle Collier 1-2 1-2 3, Kylie Kay 1-4 1-2 3, Allie Poston 1-2 0-0 2, Nicole Brown 3-5 0-0 9, Kylie Schult 1-2 0-0 2, Jordyn Ostrand 0-0 0-0 0, Heidi Wolf 0-4 0-0 0, Brooklyn Bullard 0-1 0-0 0, Abbey Rhoades 0-1 0-0 0, Elizabeth Daufeldt 0-2 0-0 0, Peyton Buesing 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 10-34 4-9 27.

     MONTICELLO (53) – Gabrielle Steiner 6-11 0-0 13, Tori McDonald 0-5 0-0 0, Gabrielle Guilford 0-3 0-2 0, Carly Hayen 1-6 0-4 2, Jordan Kuper 9-17 2-4 20, Karli Recker 4-6 0-2 11, Bronwyn Hodge 2-3 1-1 5, Jaelyn Aitchison 0-0 2-2 2, Lydia Recker 0-0 0-0 0, Emily Schlarmann, 0-1 0-0 0, DeLainy Fellinger 0-0 0-0 0, Katie Roher 0-0 0-0 0, Brea Stahlberg 0-1 0-0 0, Madison Butterworth 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-53 5-15 53.

     Three-pointers: Brown 3; K. Recker 3, Steiner.

     Rebounds: Monticello 38 (Kuper 15, McDonald 5, Hodge 5), Durant 22.

     Total fouls: Durant 13, Monticello 13.