By Becky Walz,
A slow start doomed the South Winn girls’ basketball team (2-2, 1-2 UIC) in its conference contest Friday, but rebounded to win its Border Battle Saturday night.
At home
The Warriors scored just seven points in the first eight minutes, giving West Central a 21-7 advantage. At the half, SW trailed 29-14. The two squads were even in the third period and the Warriors outscored the Blue Devils 21-19 in the final period, but couldn’t make up the difference.
“We made some mistakes early and West Central took advantage of those mistakes. They came out extremely hot and we couldn’t overcome it. We never quit or got discouraged. We fought hard all the way until the end. I’m proud of the effort they put in each night,” said Coach Justin Izer.
Morgan Kleve led the team with 14 points. Janessa Zweibahmer put up 12 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Josie Tieskoetter had six points and seven boards while Alison Heying had five points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Morgan Kriener topped the squad with five steals.
West Central 21 8 9 19 57
South Winn 7 7 9 21 44
Scoring – Morgan Kleve 14; Janessa Zweibahmer 12; Josie Tieskoetter 6; Alison Heying 5; Janessa Zweibohmer 5; Emily Michels 2
Rebounds – Zweibahmer 9; Tieskoetter 7; Heying 5; Kleve 5; Eryn Luzum 3; Michels 1; Anna Dietzenbach 1; Assists – Heying 2; Morgan Kriener 1; Tieskoetter 1; Zweibahmer 1; Dietzenbach 1; Steals – Kriener 5; Heying 2; Tieskoetter 2; Zweibahmer 2; Michels 1; Kleve 1; Blocks – Zweibahmer 1
Non-conference
Back on the court less than 24 hours later, the Lady Warriors faced Mabel-Canton on the floor at Decorah High School in the annual Border Battle game. South Winn fell behind early, but responded in the second half to win 26-23.
“A win is a win. It wasn’t the prettiest of games but we kept our composure and showed a lot of grit to escape with a 26-23 win,” said Coach Izer. “Our defense stepped up big when our offense struggling.”
Trailing 17-15 at halftime, the Warrior defense held the Cougars to just six points in the second half, erasing the deficit and coming out on top.
Kleve paced the field with 11 points to go with three rebounds. Tieskoetter knocked down nine points and claimed six boards, while Zweibahmer provided four points and 14 rebounds.
Mabel-Canton 12 5 2 4 23
South Winn 8 7 7 4 26
Scoring – Morgan Kleve 11; Josie Tieskoetter 9; Janessa Zweibahmer 4; Morgan Kriener 2
Rebounds – Zweibahmer 14; Tieskoetter 6; Kleve 3; Eryn Luzum 2; Kriener 2; Alison Heying 1; Emily Michels 1; Josie Hemesath 1; Anna Dietzenbach 1; Assists – Luzum 1; Kriener 1; Zweibahmer 1; Steals – Kriener 4; Zweibahmer 3; Heying 2; Kleve 2; Tieskoetter 1
Moving on
The Warriors are ready to return to conference action at MFL MarMac tonight, Tuesday, Dec. 7, at 6:15 p.m. It is the lone contest for the SW girls as they do not return to the hardwood until Thursday, Dec. 16, versus North Fayette Valley at 6:15 p.m.
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