Wildcats post pair of TRC wins

Boys basketball

     Two Tri-Rivers Conference wins lifted Maquoketa Valley to a 3-1 season record.

     The Wildcats opened the week with a 58-46 win at Bellevue Marquette Dec. 4, as Andrew Holtz poured in 23 points. Holtz shot 8-for-12 from the field and 5-for-7 from the free throw line, and had six assists, three steals and five rebounds. A.J. Ambundo and Brian Heims each had 12 points; Heims led the team in rebounds with nine, and Ambundo had five. Blake Becker scored 12 points.

     On Dec. 7, Maquoketa Valley played host to Cedar Valley Christian, and won 61-34. Four Wildcats had double-digit scoring: Andrew Hildebrand and Heims with 11 points each, and Holtz with 10. Ambundo had seven points, while Zac Lansing and Becker and six points each. Heims completed double-double by grabbing 11 rebounds. Holtz made seven assists.

Wrestling

     Maquoketa Valley wrestled a double dual meet at home Dec. 4, defeating Jesup 60-10 and losing to South Winneshiek 48-21.

     Tim Harmon was the only winner of a match against Jesup, scoring a pin at 160 pounds. The Wildcats also won nine matches by forfeit.

     Against South Winneshiek, winners include Michael Schaul at 126, Parker Sternhagen at 132 and Carter Kruse at 182, all by pin; and Michael Feldmann at 220, by 3-1 decision.

     “Overall I was proud of the team’s attitude and effort,” Maquoketa Valley coach Tim Andrews said. “Although we came up short against South Winn, I felt like we learned a lot about where we are as a team and where we need to get to.”

     Next, the Wildcats competed in the 17-team Keith Vry Invitational Dec. 8, finishing 12^th as a team with 38 points. Perennial powerhouse Don Bosco won the meet with 306 points, and Crestwood was second with 177.

     MV had three wrestlers place in the top five of their divisions. Schaul placed third at 126 pounds. Sternhagen was fourth at 132. James LeGassick finished fifth at 170.

     “This was a great tournament for us to see where we stack up with some of the better competition in the state,” Andrews said. “Although some of the guys were not pleased with how the day went, I’m confident they’ll use this as motivation to get better as we move forward.”

Girls basketball

     Maquoketa Valley scored 40 first quarter points, led 62-16 at halftime, and wound up with a 75-20 win over Clinton Prince of Peace Nov. 30 in Delhi.

     Four Wildcats scored in double figures: Emerson Whittenbaugh led the way with 16 points, Sam Wall had 15, Ella Imler had 14 and Maci Freiburger had 13. Maddy Anderegg added eight points. Whittenbaugh also had six rebounds and two blocks. Imler made eight assists and four steals. Wall had five assists.