The Week That Was: Notes From North-Central Iowa

Just a handful of teams took to the court around north-central Iowa during Christmas week, but that didn’t keep us from checking on them. Now, programs will use these next couple of weeks to prepare for the second half of the season, fine-tuning little things, possibly implementing new pieces to the offense and/or defense, and making sure to stay safe throughout it all. <strong>Clarion-Goldfield/Dows at Algona</strong> Senior [player_tooltip player_id="131258" first="Raven" last="Kinnetz"] reached the 1,000-point mark for Clarion-Goldfield/Dows in a 44-27 victory over Algona this past week. The Cowgirls broke the contest open in the second quarter, outscoring the Bulldogs, 15-2. A’Lailah Perry, a sophomore, had 12 for Algona with five rebounds and two blocked shots. <strong>South Central Calhoun at MVAOCOU</strong> South Central Calhoun can put points on the board in a hurry. The Titans posted 16, 20, 15 and 23 per quarter in a 74-45 victory over MVAOCOU. [player_tooltip player_id="127608" first="Riley" last="Batta"] made 7 of 12 field goals, including five 3-pointers, scoring 20 points with five rebounds, [player_tooltip player_id="131210" first="Brielle" last="Korleski"] added 16 and freshman Chloe Judisch chipped in with 10. South Central Calhoun dished out 18 assists on 29 made field goals, adding 16 steals and 11 offensive rebounds. <strong>Fort Dodge at Carlisle</strong> A strong second half helped Fort Dodge best Carlisle, 39-37. Tristin Doster, a University of Iowa softball-commit, scored 12 points with Cheyenne Miller-Hameed and Jalen Adams - also a future Hawkeye on the diamond - adding seven each. Doster, a talented multi-sport athlete, had 10 rebounds and a pair of steals for the Dodgers. <strong>Newell-Fonda at Woodbury Central</strong> This one is for Newell-Fonda head coach Dick Jungers, as he picked up career victory No. 400 with a 74-47 triumph vs. Woodbury Central. Jungers has built one of the top programs in the entire state of Iowa in Newell, winning state championships and constantly producing college-level players. <strong>Humboldt at Hampton-Dumont/CAL</strong> Along with being a defending state wrestling champion, Kendal Clark continues to show her improvements on the basketball court. Clark led Humboldt to a 54-50 victory over Hampton-Dumont/CAL by scoring 23 points with 12 rebounds and two steals. Bae Arnold added 12 points, including three 3-pointers, and Jori Hajek had 11. <strong>Clear Lake at Iowa Falls-Alden</strong> Just as the break comes into play, Clear Lake is getting closer and closer to 100 percent. The Lions showed their balance in a 57-38 victory over Iowa Falls-Alden, outscoring the Cadets 16-7 in the fourth quarter. Junior Jaden Ainsley had 19 points, freshman Xada Johnson added 11 and senior Kaitlyn Vanderploeg had six with eight rebounds and three blocks. <strong>Bishop Garrigan at North Iowa</strong> The depth of the top-ranked team in Class 1A, Bishop Garrigan, is incredible. The Golden Bears feature known players such as [player_tooltip player_id="63019" first="Audi" last="Crooks"], [player_tooltip player_id="165010" first="Kaylyn" last="Meyers"] and [player_tooltip player_id="63033" first="Molly" last="Joyce"], but there is even more to the team. Emma Grandgenett, a junior, made all 10 of her field goal attempts, scoring a game-high 20 points in a one-sided win over North Iowa, 95-19. Joyce added 14 and another exceptional role player, Gracie Elsbecker, added 13 with eight rebounds. &nbsp;