Panthers fall to Knights in regional semifinal

   Following a 43-35 win over Benton in the first round of Class 3A Region 1 action on Feb. 14, the Monticello girls basketball team fell to Assumption, 39-26, in a regional semifinal contest on Feb. 18 in Davenport.

   “I thought we played extremely hard the whole game,” Panther coach Donnie Kremer commented. “We just could not get a shot to fall, but I can’t fault our effort. Defensively, we played pretty well all game.”

   Inside Assumption High School, the Knights started the game on a 7-0 run. The Panthers responded with a run of their own, as four free throws and a fast-break bucket -- all from Mallory McElmeel -- put the Panthers down one, 7-6, after the first quarter.

   The Assumption defense stymied the Monti offense in quarter two, giving up just two Panther points. At the break, the Knights led 16-8.

   “Our turnovers in the half court, and we only made one, shot were factors that led to them extending their lead in the second quarter,” Kremer added. “We forced too many passes and made some poor decisions.”

   In a back-and-forth third quarter, Assumption outscored the Panthers, 12-11, and took a 28-19 lead into the final frame.

   A 11-7 fourth quarter, in favor of the Knights, gave them the 13-point win and moved them into the regional final game.

   The Panthers ended the season with a 14-9 overall record, 8-6 in the River Valley Conference North Division.

Feb. 18

(Class 3A, Region 1 Semfinal at Assumption)

Assumption.. 7    9  12  11  39

Monti........... 6    2  11    7  26

TEAM STATISTICS

                                 Monti   Assum

FG Made-Att............. 8-40     14-44

3PT Made-Att........... 1-17      4-14

FT Made-Att.............. 9-13      7-10

Rebounds...................... 29         19

Assists............................... 6          7

Steals................................. 7         14

Blocks................................ 1          3

Turnovers....................... 21         18

Fouls............................... 12         18

MONTICELLO STATISTICS

Points (FG Made-Att) – Mallory McElmeel 10 (2-12), Peyton Ries 6 (3-8), Halle Recker 5 (1-5), Kenya Davis-Robinson 5 (2-4); Three-pointers (Made-Att) – Recker 1-3; Rebounds – Davis-Robinson 9, McElmeel 5, Kennedy Hermsen 5, Recker 4, Ries 2, Kylee McElmeel 1; Assists – Recker 1, M. McElmeel 1, Kayla Arduser 1, Hermsen 1, Ries 1, Davis-Robinson 1; Steals – Hermsen 3, Recker 1, M. McElmeel 1, Ries 1, Davis-Robinson 1; Blocks – Recker 1

RIVER VALLEY CONFERENCE

Girls Basketball Standings

        North Division

TEAM                      Div.      Ovr.

Maquoketa             14-0      21-4

Cascade                  12-2      18-5

Bellevue                    8-6      15-8

Monticello              8-6     14-9

Anamosa                  6-8    10-13

Camanche              4-10      7-15

Beckman                 4-10      6-16

Northeast               0-14      2-21