Jr. High Girls Lose to Goodland
On Tuesday, December 11, the junior high girls basketball teams played Goodland in St. Francis. The Goodland Cowgirls brought a tall and talented team to St. Francis and left with two dominating victories.
The evening opened with the B-team contest. Goodland's first two shot attempts, treys by Haley Biermann (7th) both swished the net giving the Cowgirls a 0-6 advantage with less than a minute gone in the game. Back-to-back baskets by Jaxi Mitchek (7th) and a banking trey by Hannah Coumerilh (7th) gave Goodland a 0-13 lead and caused a St. Francis time-out at 1:35. St. Francis trailed 0-17 at the first-quarter break. The Cowgirls played nine players in the second period but their size and skill continued to take toll and the margin increased to 0-28 at halftime.
After two opening deuces in the thrid period; one by Mitcheck and one by Bierman, the Lady Indians finally scored on a right-wing shot by Makaila Matthies at the 3:07 mark. St. Francis trailed 2-32 after three periods. A running clock was used in the final period due to the point differential. Anahi Hernandez scored the only Cowgirls basket of the final period. St. Francis received scores from Sophie White (right-wing) and Janae Moberly (free-throw) in the closing minutes. St. Francis lost to a good Cowgirls team 5-34.
Goodland was led in scoring by Jaxi Mitchek with 13 points. Haley Bierman added 8 and Grace Riedesel 6. Scoring for St. Francis were Makaila Matthies 2, Sophie White 2, and Janae Moberly 1.
Goodland's size and skill also took it's toll in the A-team contest. The Lady Indians battled hard but superior size at nearly every position made things difficult. Goodland earned scores by 8th graders Olivia Lehman (offensive rebound) and Lindsey Cure (coast-to-coast dribble) to open the contest. Makaila Matthies drained a right-wing shot placing the Lady Indians on the board. Lehman and Cure would add two more baskets each before the Lady Indians scored again. Goodland led 2-12 at the first quarter break.
Rian Zimbal scored the first point of the second period on a free-throw. Talexa Weeter (8th) added a right-corner deuce before Zimbal earned a post basket (5-14). After additional baskets by Cure, Lehman, and Weeter, St. Francis used a time-out at 1:19 trailing 5-21. The margin grew to twenty points (5-25) with the addition of baskets by Weeter and Jaxi Mitchek. Zimbal earned the final basket of the first half; a post-basket on an assist from Ellee Krien. St. Francis trailed 7-25 at halftime.
Talexa Weeter opened the second half with back-to-back treys. An assist by Molly Gilliland led to a score by Rian Zimbal from the post. Ellee Krien then added a free-throw moving the score to 10-31. After an offensive rebound basket by Olivia Lehman, St. Francis used another time-out and returned to the floor to earn a right-wing basket by Makaila Matthies. Weeter's third trey of the period preceded another Zimbal post score. The final basket of the period came on a right-wing shot by Goodland's Brenda Rodriguez (8th). St. Francis trailed 14-38.
Goodland played their entire roster in the final period. Ellee Krien set up the first three St. Francis scores in the final period with assists; a post basket by Rian Zimbal, and out-of-bounds play buckets by Maggie Hingst and Zimbal. At 2:33, Goodland called time-out. Krien then added jumper and two more assists to her total with baskets earned by Jesslynn Houtman and Zimbal. The Lady Indians were looking much better and had trimmed the margin to 26-38. The final basket of the contest added to the Cowgirls total; a left-wing basket by Kristina Holub. St. Francis lost to a very good Goodland team 26-40.
Goodland received balanced scoring from three players. Talexa Weeter led the Cowgirls with 15 points. Olivia Lehman and Lindsey Cure added 10 and 9 respectively. Three other Cowgirls scored 2 each. The Cowgirls committed 13 fouls and did not attempt a free-throw.
St. Francis was led in scoring by Rian Zimbal with 15 points. Makaila Matthies added 4, Ellee Krien 3, while Maggie Hingst and Jesslynn Houtman each chipped in 2. St. Francis committed 7 fouls and made a dismal 2 of 16 from the line.
The Lady Indians will play Hoxie, in St. Francis, on Thursday, January 3.
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