The Week That Was: Notes From North-Central Iowa

While the temperature outside begins to drop, the heat inside basketball gyms around north-central Iowa continues to go through the roof. This past week, we laid witness to some big-time matchups in both the North Central Conference and Twin Lakes Conference. For many teams, this was the final set of games before the holiday break allows for time to recover and prepare. Others still have a date or two left before that happens. <strong>Iowa Falls-Alden at Clarion-Goldfield/Dows</strong> In a battle of ranked North Central Conference programs, it was the Cowgirls of Clarion-Goldfield/Dows getting the best of Iowa Falls-Alden, 44-36. The loss snapped a six-game win streak for the Cadets to start the season. Clarion-Goldfield/Dows relied on its Div. I volleyball recruit, Morgan Middleton, to control the tempo, Middleton reached double figures once again, scoring 18, with [player_tooltip player_id="131258" first="Raven" last="Kinnetz"] adding 11. Jenny Wibholm scored 13 and freshman Ella Sharar added 12 for the Cadets. The series has been very back-and-forth over the years, but the Cowgirls have now won three in a row. Iowa Falls-Alden leads 15-13 over the past 28 matchups. <strong>Hampton/Dumont/CAL at Clear Lake</strong> While still not quite at 100 percent, Clear Lake continues to show it is the class act of the North Central Conference. The Lions used a dominating defensive performance to best Hampton-Dumont/CAL, 67-39, and win for the ninth consecutive time in the series. Jaden Ainley and [player_tooltip player_id="164981" first="Chelsey" last="Holck"] are each averaging double figures, with Kaitlyn Vanderploeg, Xada Johnson and Emily Theiss over seven points each. All of this without the services of [player_tooltip player_id="131168" first="Darby" last="Dodd"], a top 3-point shooter in the league. <strong>South Central Calhoun at Emmetsburg</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="165029" first="Abbie" last="Schany"] stepped up in a big way, as Emmetsburg used its home-court advantage to best South Central Calhoun, 48-44. The E-Hawks outscored the Titans 26-19 in the second and third quarters for the win. Schany scored 27 points, hitting 15 of 17 free throws with eight rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Taylor Steinkamp added nine and Emily Schany had seven. Emmetsburg was 23-for-31 at the free throw line compared to 5 of 13 by SCC. [player_tooltip player_id="131210" first="Brielle" last="Korleski"] and [player_tooltip player_id="127608" first="Riley" last="Batta"] each had 11 for the Titans, with [player_tooltip player_id="160565" first="Kylee" last="Schleisman"] adding 10. <strong>St. Edmond at Humboldt</strong> A 23-point second quarter helped Humboldt put some distance between themselves and St. Edmond, as the Wildcats improved to 5-2 with a 61-46 victory. Kendal Clark, Bae Arnold and Jori Hajek combined for 49 points, with Clark scoring 20. A big one awaits Humboldt next as they take on Hampton-Dumont/CAL. For the Gaels, senior Leah Neverman had a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 14 rebounds with two blocks. Neverman was 8-for-15 from the field. <strong>Algona at Webster City</strong> If you want to beat Algona, make sure to put stay on them in the fourth and final quarter. The Bulldogs used an incredible 23-7 run in the fourth to best Algona, 45-42. [player_tooltip player_id="160572" first="Lillian" last="Etherington"] scored 19, including 10 over the final eight minutes, with A’Lailiah Perry adding 12. It was a battle until the end, as Webster City just missed a game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer. The Lynx got solid production out of Jenna Miller (16 points), [player_tooltip player_id="129072" first="Kelly" last="Stoakes"] (12) and Leah Kasch (nine) on the night.