Momentum in high school athletics can turn on a dime.
Such was the case in Montezuma’s rematch with North Mahaska on Friday evening, Jan. 19, at home.
After leading 11-9 after one quarter, the Warhawks put together an 8-0 run to lead 19-9 with 4:11 left in the half.
Then came the pivot – an 8-0 Montezuma run the last 3:49 of the half. The Warhawks still led 19-18, but the Bravettes’ had forced a faster pace and accompanied it with stronger defense.
A steal by Izzy Roorda preceded an Ellen Cook three-pointer, which put the Bravettes up 30-27 with 4:05 left in the third quarter.
Montezuma kept it going, outscoring the Warhawks 34-21 in the second half of a 52-40 Bravettes win.
“We definitely did not start off strong, but we found a way to grit and grind and fight ourselves back into a one-point game at half,” said Montezuma Coach Janel Burgess.
“As we started off the second half, we locked in defensively and had a strong balance on the offensive end,” the coach said.
The Bravettes got 15 points from post Shiressa Wetering, who was five-for-seven from the line and five-for-six from the line.
Ellen Cook scored 13 points and dished 7 assists.
Sydnee Burgess scored 8 points and made contribution in several categories, including rebounds (5), assists (1), steals (2) and blocks (1).
The Bravettes shot .385 from the field, but limited the Warhawks to .283.
“This team is continuing to learn and grow which is something that is special,” Burgess said. “They want to be their best together, and that is our entire team.”
“All 14 young ladies played their roles tonight and we found a way to beat a very solid North Mahaska team,” said the coach.
It was a big one in the South Iowa Cedar League chase, more so for Montezuma. The win put the Bravettes at 8-2 in the race, while the loss was the first in the league for North Mahaska after 9 wins.
Montezuma is now 11-2 overall.
North Mahaska also is 11-2.
The Warhawks entered the game ranked ninth in class 1A, while Montezuma was #13.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
North Mahaska 11 8 13 8 – 40
Montezuma 9 9 19 15 – 52
MONTEZUMA (52) – Ellen Cook 3-14, 5-6, 3, 13. Vivian Cook 2-4, 1-2, 3, 7. Sydnee Burgess 2-5, 3-6, 2, 8. Claire Erselius 2-3, 1-2, 3, 6. Izzy Roorda 0-1, 0-0, 4, 0. Jadyn Sharer 1-5, 0-0, 2, 3. Jordan Ranfeld 0-0, 0-0, 1, 0. Shiressa Wetering 5-7, 5-6, 3, 15. TOTALS – 15-39, 15-22, 21, 52.
NORTH MAHASKA (40) – TOTALS – 17-60, 4-17, 22, 40.
Line score legend: field goals made-attempted, free throw made-attempted, personal fouls, total points.
Turnovers: Montezuma 19, North Mahaska 22.
Three-pointers: Montezuma 7-19 (V. Cook 2-4, E. Cook 2-6, Burgess 1-4, Erselius 1-2, Sharer 1-3. North Mahaska 2-18.
Rebounds: Montezuma 24 (Burgess 5, E. Cook 5, Wetering 4, V. Cook 3, Erselius 3, Roorda 2, Sharer 2). North Mahaska 25.
Assists: Montezuma 12 (E. Cook 7, Roorda 2, V. Cook 1, Burgess 1, Sharer 1.
Steals: Montezuma 9 (V. Cook 2, Burgess 2, Roorda 2, E. Cook 1, Sharer 1, Wetering 1.
Blocks: Montezuma 5 (Wetering 2, Erselius 2, Burgess 1.
Deflections: The Bravettes had a total of 10 by 6 different players.
