The 19-4 Collins-Maxwell girls basketball team has developed a scary habit, that is, if you’re a team about to face them.
The Spartans win close games.
Collins-Maxwell has won nine games by 10 or fewer points.
They’re 21-1 Montezuma’s opponent tonight, Friday, Feb. 21, in regional semifinal action in Montezuma. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
Tonight’s winner will be just one victory away from a state tournament appearance.
The Spartans score 44.6 points per game – just 53rd best in Class 1A. They yield 39.9, 30th best.
Those numbers pale, though, against Montezuma’s. The Bravettes score 68 a game and give up just 32. Those are the third- and fourth-best averages, respectively, in the class.
Montezuma is 1-1 in games decided by 10 or fewer points. Mostly, they have blown the other ships right out of the water.
Three underclassmen carry much of the load for Collins-Maxwell.
Reagan Franzen, a 5-11 junior, averages 14.9 points, 10.5 rebounds and three assists per game.
Alexis Hauge, a 5-7 sophomore, scores 11.4 points a contest.
And 5-6 sophomore Kenzi Wierson averages 6.3 points per game.
The team shoots 39 percent from the field and 24 percent from three-point range. The Spartans have made 332 turnovers – compare that to 189 by the Bravettes.
Common opponents? There are two: Colfax-Mingo and Baxter.
Collins-Maxwell beat Colfax-Mingo 53-37. The Bravettes sent Colfax-Mingo to the moon twice, 56-25 and 80-19.
The Spartans own 44-43 and 45-37 wins over Baxter. Montezuma just got through beating Baxter, 68-44.
Montezuma has put up some stunning numbers: The team is shooting .481 from the field, including .347 from three-point range. They fire at a healthy .687 rate from the free throw line.
The Bravettes pass the ball well, as an assists-to-turnovers ratio of 317 to 189 attests.
Post forward Shateah Wetering is getting better in multiple categories as her University of Iowa career draws nearer. She scores 23.6 points per game, averaging .597 from the field, including .383 on three-pointers and .797 from the foul line.
Wetering leads the team in rebounds (6.6 per game), and assists, at four a game, She has 66 steals and 23 blocks.
Guard Elise Boulton scores 12 a game and has nailed 58 treys on a .403 average from behind the arc. She is second in assists at 67.
The Bravettes have five girls scoring between 4.4 and 6.8 points per game: Maddy McKeag (6.8), Dylan Holland (6.2), Mia Boulton (5.3), Shelby Conger (4.4) and Shanae Wetering (4.0). All are capable of double-digit scoring on a given night.
Post forward Holland is a .625 field goal shooter and is second on the team in rebounds at five per game.
McKeag is second on the team in three-point shooting and has emerged as a major force on both ends of the floor during the final third of the season.
IT STARTS – at 7 p.m. tonight, Friday, Feb. 21, in the north gym.
