Successful week includes record game for Ries


Lauren Ries drives around a North Cedar player in the Panthers’ Jan. 24 home win. Three nights later, Ries scored 34 points in a win over Durant. (Photos by Pete Temple)

Shay Stephen brings the ball toward the basket for Monticello in the Jan. 26 home game against Maquoketa Valley.

Taylor McDonald makes a move with the ball for Monticello in the Maquoketa Valley game. At left is MV’s Gracie Gellersen.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
By: 
Pete Temple
Express Sports Editor

     A week that included a school record performance by junior Lauren Ries, and three relatively close games, saw the Monticello High School girls basketball team pick up a pair of River Valley Conference wins and get the experience of playing in a pressure-packed, playoff atmosphere game.

     The wins were a 48-43 home decision over North Cedar on Tuesday, Jan. 24; and a 58-50 win at Durant – with Ries pouring in a school record 34 points – on Friday, Jan. 27. In between, the Panthers faced non-conference rival Maquoketa Valley before a large, noisy crowd, and fell just short, 44-42.

     “I thought we handled the three-game week very well,” Monticello coach Donnie Kremer said. “It was one of our best weeks of basketball since early in the season.”

     That this might be kind of a special week for the Panthers became evident in the North Cedar game.

     The Knights led the see-saw game 39-36 with 4:15 to play, Monticello tied it 39-39 on a three-point basket by Maddie Lambert, and North Cedar regained the lead 41-39 with 2:27 to play.

     Ries then sank a three-pointer with 2:07 left. She made a steal and wound up at the free throw line, sinking both for a 44-41 Panther lead with 1:22 left.

     Her teammates did the rest at the free throw line. Shay Stephen made one, Taylor McDonald made two key free throws with 19.8 seconds left to make it a four-point game, and Rylee Warthen pulled down a rebound and went to the line with 8.3 seconds left, sinking one free throw.

     “We executed down the stretch,” Kremer said. “We did not panic during that stretch and looked very calm and collected during that time.”

     McDonald led Monticello with 19 points, four assists and four steals, and Ries finished with 12 points, six rebounds and three steals. Jordan Kuper had seven points, five rebounds and three steals.

     Monticello has long had a special rivalry with Maquoketa Valley, even though the teams are not in the same conference, and the Jan. 26 game in Monticello kept that tradition alive.

     With a crowd that made it seem like a regional game, the teams battled back and forth until the Wildcats pulled out a 44-42 win.

     MV led most of the game, but Monticello tied it 35-35 on two free throws by McDonald with 4:48 to play.

     The Wildcats’ Brianna Mensen had a big fourth quarter, however, scoring eight of her 19 points, and the Wildcats were able to open a 44-38 lead with 58.1 seconds left.

     A layup by McDonald and a basket by Ries cut the margin to two points with five seconds left, but the Wildcats held on.

     “I thought the atmosphere was great; lots of energy and very intense,” Kremer said. “We missed a lot of close shots at critical times during the game.”

     Ries scored 14 points, and Kuper had 10 points and eight rebounds. McDonald made four assists.

     Ries had her 34-point game the next night, Jan. 27 at Durant. The junior shot 10-for-15 from the field and made all seven of her free throw attempts. Her 34 points and seven three-pointers both set school records. She even grabbed 10 rebounds to complete a double-double.

     “Lauren played a very good game all around and shot very well from the field,” Kremer said, “which is impressive since she played in a high-energy game the night before.”

     Monticello trailed 30-22 at halftime, but took control in the second half to win by eight.

     “Once we got our legs back under us, we played very well,” the coach said.

     Kuper had another strong game, with eight points and seven rebounds. Stephen had four assists and four steals.

 

Jan. 24

N. Cedar 12   9    9  13 – 43

Monti       11 11  12  14 – 48

     NORTH CEDAR (43) – Tessa Fields 3-6 4-6 10, Lexi Crist 4-11 0-0 9, Kourtney Bendixen 4-6 0-0 8, Darby Hawtrey 4-11 0-0 8, Leah Crock 3-5 0-0 6, Grace Proesch 1-2 0-0 2, Nicole Sander 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-41 4-6 43.

     MONTICELLO (48) – Taylor McDonald 7-12 4-5 19, Shay Stephen 1-7 1-4 4, Lauren Ries 3-11 4-6 12, Maddie Fellinger 0-1 0-0 0, Jordan Kuper 3-7 1-4 7, Maddie Lambert 1-2 0-0 3, Jacqueline Petersen 1-2 0-0 2, Rylee Warthen 0-2 1-2 1, Carly Hayen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-44 11-21 48.

     Three-pointers: Crist; Ries 2, McDonald, Stephen, M. Lambert.

     Rebounds: North Cedar 27, Monticello 18 (Ries 6, Kuper 5).

     Total fouls: North Cedar 14, Monticello 11.

 

Jan. 26

Maq. Val.   7   9 11 17 – 44

Monti         6   9 12 15 – 42

     MONTICELLO (42) – Taylor McDonald 2-5 2-2 6, Shay Stephen 1-7 0-2 2, Lauren Ries 3-8 6-6 14, Maddie Fellinger 2-2 2-6 7, Jordan Kuper 3-10 4-6 10, Maddie Lambert 1-2 0-0 3, Jacqueline Petersen 0-0 0-0 0, Rylee Warthen 0-1 0-0 0, Carly Hayen 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 12-36 14-22 42.

     Three-pointers: Ries 2, Fellinger, M. Lambert.

     Rebounds: Monticello 26 (Kuper 8, McDonald 5, Ries 5).

     Total fouls: Monticello 17.

 

Jan. 27

Monti    11 11  16 20 – 58

Durant  16 14   5 15 – 50

     MONTICELLO (58) – Taylor McDonald 1-5 2-2 5, Shay Stephen 1-3 2-2 4, Lauren Ries 10-15 7-7 34, Maddie Fellinger 1-4 0-2 2, Jordan Kuper 4-5 0-0 8, Maddie Lambert 1-2 2-3 4, Rylee Warthen 0-0 1-2 1, Jacqueline Petersen 0-0 0-0 0, Carly Hayen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-34 14-18 58.

     DURANT (50) – Emilee Voss 1-3 0-0 2, Amanda Wiese 0-1 0-0 0, Aubrey Werthmann 5-17 3-4 17, Kelly Alexander 2-3 0-0 5, Autumn Wolf 5-7 3-4 13, Hannah Happ 4-6 0-0 9, Lauren Ralfs 2-3 0-0 4, Emily Seligman 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-40 6-8 50.

     Three-pointers: Ries 7, McDonald; Werthmann 4, Alexander, Happ.

     Rebounds: Monticello 30 (Ries 10, Kuper 7), Durant 19.

     Total fouls: Durant 15, Monticello 12.

 

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