MARENGO – Question: What can a basketball team do when its shots just aren’t falling?
Answer: Everything else.
The Bravettes and the Iowa Valley Tigers girls teams saw their first game action in almost two weeks on Thursday evening, Jan. 18.
The 13th-ranked Montezuma girls prevailed, 47-40, in a game that didn’t see either team outscore the other by more than four points in any quarter.
The Bravettes shot just .312 from the field against a physical defense. But Montezuma did a lot of other things that contributed to the win.
Things like play their own tough defense (the Tigers shot just .364). The Bravettes got themselves to the free throw line. They fired up 22 of them, and made 11.
Montezuma made six three-pointers. Guard Ellen Cook made four of them.
Sixteen Montezuma steals were part of 29 Iowa Valley turnovers.
“I am super proud of our relentlessness and our ability to stick together against a very strong and tall team,” said Montezuma Coach Janel Burgess.
The Bravettes outscored the Tigers 20-13 in periods two and three. That proved important after the Tigers took a fourth quarter lead.
Gradually, both teams warmed to their task, which each side dropping in 19 points in the fourth quarter.
“We had to stay composed when Iowa Valley took the lead; we hit three big free throws in the 4th quarter. Most importantly, we found a way to win on the road when we had not played in 14 days,” Burgess said This team is giving us everything they can and are doing it for each other.”
Ellen Cook led the Bravettes with 17 points, and post Shiressa Wetering scored 14, on 6-for-11 field goal shooting.
Ellen Cook and Jordan Ranfeld each were three-for-four from the free throw line, and those points were important.
The Bravettes were close to Iowa Valley on the boards: 24 rebounds to the Tigers’ 28. Senior Izzy Roorda secured 8 caroms to lead the team, and she also led the Bravettes in assists with three.
Montezuma assisted 9 of its 15 field goals.
The win lifted the Bravettes to 10-2 on the season, and to 7-2 in South Iowa Cedar League play.
“That was a great win for our program,” Burgess said.
Iowa Valley fell to 5-9 and 4-6.
UP NEXT – Montezuma has some heavy duty on Friday, Jan. 19, when it hosts North Mahaska in a girls-boys doubleheader.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Montezuma 8 8 12 19 – 47
Iowa Valley 8 5 8 19 – 40
MONTEZUMA (47) – Ellen Cook 5-16, 3-4, 1, 17. Vivian Cook 2-11, 1-4, 1, 6. Sydnee Burgess 0-0, 0-0, 3, 0. Claire Erselius 2-6, 2-8, 0, 7. Izzy Roorda 0-1, 0-1, 3, 0. Jadyn Sharer 0-3, 0-0, 0, 0. Jordan Ranfeld 0-0, 3-4, 3, 3. Laila Kercheval 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0. Shiressa Wetering 6-11, 2-2, 4, 14. TOTALS – 15-48, 11-22, 15, 47.
IOWA VALLEY (40). TOTALS – 16-44, 5-16, 16, 40.
Line score legend: field goals made-attempted, free throws made-attempted, personal fouls, total points.
Turnovers: Montezuma 14, Iowa Valley 29.
Three-pointers: Montezuma 6-23 (E. Cook 4-11, V. Cook 1-7, Erselius 1-2, Roorda 0-1, Sharer 0-2); Iowa Valley 3-11.
Rebounds: Montezuma 24 (Roorda 8, Wetering 6, Sharer 3, V. Cook 2, Ranfeld 2, E. Cook 1, Burgess 1, Erselius 1. Iowa Valley 28.
Assists: Montezuma 9 (Roorda 3, V. Cook 2, E. Cook 1, Erselius 1, Sharer 1, Ranfeld 1).
Steals: Montezuma 16 (E. Cook 4, V. Cook 4, Erselius 3, Roorda 3, Sharer 1, Wetering 1).
Blocks: Montezuma 2 (E. Cook 1, Wetering 1).