Panthers overwhelm Northeast, West Liberty


Taylor McDonald (11) puts up a short shot for Monticello Jan. 12 at Northeast of Goose Lake, backed up by teammate Lauren Ries. (Photos courtesy of Ross Eberhart, DeWitt Observer)

Maddie Lambert of the Panthers (33) fights between a pair of Northeast players to take a shot.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
By: 
Pete Temple
Express Sports Editor

     The two games had different starts, but the results were the same – a pair of lopsided wins for the Monticello High School girls basketball teams.

     The Panthers (8-3, 10-4) had two River Valley Conference games last week, played on back-to-back nights, and won both by nearly identical scores.

     Monticello played at Northeast of Goose Lake Jan. 12, and won 64-36. Back home on Jan. 13, the Panthers overcame West Liberty 64-30.

     Getting big leads proved valuable for the Panthers.

     “We were able to get some rest, and get playing time for a lot of the girls,” Monticello coach Donnie Kremer said.

     The coach praised the girls who came off the bench for significant minutes both nights.

     “I thought they did a very good job of playing hard, and it was very good for them to get some quality playing time.”

     Northeast gave Monticello a battle for one quarter on Friday, as the Rebels ended the period with a 14-12 lead. The Panthers took over in the second session, however, to lead 36-23 by halftime. Overall, they outscored Northeast 46-13 over the middle two quarters.

     “I think we did a much better job of creating turnovers and getting into transition to get easy buckets,” Kremer said. “I thought we started to defend much better as well.”

     Lauren Ries had a big night, with 22 points on 7-for-14 shooting. Taylor McDonald scored 13 points and made six assists. Jordan Kuper had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Maddie Fellinger had four assists and three steals.

     There was little doubt about the outcome of Saturday’s game against West Liberty from the beginning. The Panthers jumped on the Comets in the first quarter to take a 23-3 lead, and led 41-4 at halftime.

     Three Panthers scored in double figures: Taylor McDonald and Ries with 13 points apiece, and Fellinger with 11. Meredith Melchert came off the bench to score seven points and grab four rebounds.

     Kuper had six rebounds, while Aspen Gillmore and Tori McDonald had four apiece. Ries led the team in steals with eight and in assists with four.

    

Jan. 12

Monti   12 24  22   6 – 64

N’east  14   9    4   9 – 36

     MONTICELLO (64) – Taylor McDonald 4-11 3-4 13, Maddie Fellinger 0-1 0-0 0, Lauren Ries 7-14 3-4 22, Maddie Lambert 2-3 2-2 6, Jordan Kuper 6-11 0-0 12, Carly Hayen 2-4 0-2 5, Sydney Hansen 2-4 0-0 4, Caitlyn Cruise 0-0 2-2 2, Savanah Kremer 0-0 0-0 0, Meredith Melchert 0-1 0-0 0, Aspen Gillmore 0-0 0-0 0, Lydia Franzenburg 0-0 0-0 0, Emmi Sampson 0-1 0-0 0, Marissa Recker 0-0 0-0 0, Gabrielle Steiner 0-1 0-0 0, Tori McDonald 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-51 10-14 64.

     Three-pointers: Ries 5, Ta. McDonald 2, Hayen.

     Rebounds: Monticello 33 (Kuper 10).

     Total fouls: Monticello 7.

 

Jan. 13

W. Liberty   3   1 17    9 – 30

Monti         23 18 12  11 – 64

     WEST LIBERTY (30) – Haylee Lehman 0-8 0-0 0, Cora Wickham 2-6 1-2 7, Averi Goodale 4-16 0-0 8, Isabel Morrison 1-3 0-1 3, Janey Gingerich 3-11 1-6 7, Madison McIntosh 2-6 0-0 5, Brittney Harned 0-3 0-0 0, Alex Torres 0-0 0-0 0, Lindsey Laughlin 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 12-56 2-9 30.

     MONTICELLO (64) – Taylor McDonald 3-6 7-7 13, Maddie Fellinger 5-5 0-0 11, Sydney Hansen 1-2 0-0 2, Lauren Ries 6-12 0-0 13, Jordan Kuper 2-2 1-2 6, Meredith Melchert 3-4 0-0 7, Lydia Franzenburg 2-2 0-0 4, Gabrielle Steiner 1-2 0-0 3, Aspen Gillmore 1-4 0-0 2, Tori McDonald 1-5 0-0 2, Carly Hayen 0-2 1-2 1, Caitlyn Cruise 0-0 0-3 0, Savanah Kremer 0-0 0-0 0, Emmi Sampson 0-1 0-0 0, Marissa Recker 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-47 9-15 64.

     Three-pointers: Wickham 2, Morrison, McIntosh; Fellinger, Ries, Kuper, Melchert, Steiner.

     Rebounds: Monticello 40 (Kuper 6, Melchert 4, Gillmore 4, To. McDonald 4), West Liberty 27.

     Total fouls: West Liberty 16, Monticello 7.

 

 

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