Newell-Fonda girls basketball teams have won 104 of their last 106 games.
That ought to be enough to scare the eight-ball right off the felt.
But not Montezuma Coach Janel Burgess and her Bravettes, who take on the Mustangs in a Class 1A state semifinals game at 4 p.m. on Friday, March 5, in Wells Fargo Arena.
“It’s a great opportunity,” said Burgess, as she began preparing the Bravettes. “I have aspired to be successful against them since I came here four years ago. It’s going to be an up and down game.”
Newell-Fonda is seeking a three-peat under 19th-year Coach Dick Jungers. The Mustangs have lost just once since falling by 11 points to Springville in the 2017-2018 championship game.
That was earlier this season to Bishop Garrigan, which is still going in the opposite bracket.
If you’re going to be the best, you have to beat the best, or at least play against them. That’s why Burgess views this as an opportunity.
At 104-2 over the last four years, the Mustangs have won at a .990 percentage.
In the four years Burgess has led the Bravettes, they’re 88-10, for .900. They’ve been to state all four seasons.
Jungers is known as a developer of talent. He starts the girls young, and tries to keep the game fun for them. He’s said to be a master in the art of the buy-in – giving each girl on the squad a definite role and getting them to fully support it.
Sound familiar?
The Mustangs are scoring 81 points a game, 40 more than their opponents. The offense is Class 1A’s most prolific.
But Newell-Fonda doesn’t have one big scorer. Like Montezuma, they’ve got four girls averaging in double figures, in the Mustangs’ case, all between 12 and 13.6 points.
They fly at the opposing basket after securing a defensive rebound. A straight line being the quickest route, that’s the way they go. The opponent has to transition immediately.
The Mustangs shoot the three-ball as often as the Bravettes. On two-pointers, they’ve put up 500 more field goal attempts than Montezuma, which isn’t shy about shooting.
Newell-Fonda isn’t large, with only one regular as tall as 5-10.
Bailey Sievers, a 5-8 senior, scores 13.6 points a game and shoots .559 from the field. Macy Sievers, a 5-7 junior, scores 13.0 per game, shoots .579, and dishes 5.5 assists.
Ella Larsen, a 5-9 senior, scores 12.5 per game, shoots .555, pulls down 4.4 rebounds, and dishes 3.6 assists.
Maggie Walker, a 5-8 senior, scores 12.0 per game and shoots .429.
Kierra Jungers, daughter of the coach, is a 5-10 freshman and she pulls down 3.9 rebounds.
Montezuma scores 65 points a game, sixth best in the state, and the Bravette defense allows just 31, third best.
Elise Boulton, a 5-5 senior, scores 17.6 per game, shoots .467 from the field, averages 5.7 assists and 3.1 rebounds.
Shanae Wetering, a 5-11 junior, scores 11.5 per game, shoots .519, and gets 4.7 rebounds.
Mia Boulton, a 5-3 sophomore, scores 11.1 per game and shoots .435 from the field. She’s also a strong defensive guard.
Dylan Holland, a 5-10 senior, scores 10.8 per game, shoots .597 from the field, grabs 9.5 rebounds and is a lockdown post defender.
Madison Johannes, a 5-3 sophomore, averages 1.5 assists and is a hounding defender anywhere on the court.
Montezuma, 23-1, has a longer winning streak coming in – 23 games, to 24-1 Newell-Fonda’s 20.
BCMoore Rankings says Newell-Fonda plays the third-toughest schedule in Class 1A, while the Bravettes’ schedule is #69. Going forward, that’s one area Montezuma will need to work on.
Meanwhile, it’s two great programs, in their first meeting.
They could throw down some serious hoops!
THE WINNER – Plays for the state championship at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.