Ark Valley News - Valley Center Middle School girls go 5-3

Valley Center Middle School girls go 5-3
By The News staff
Last Updated: December 14, 2017

During the past week, the Valley Center Middle School girls basketball teams hosted two league opponents, Maize South on Dec. 11 and Andover on Dec. 7, and were a combined 5-3.

Against Maize South, the Hornets split, as both seventh-grade teams won but both eighth-grade teams lost. Both seventh-grade teams and eighth-grade “B" were victorious against Andover. For the season, eighth-grade “A" is 1-4, and the other three teams are each 3-2.

Valley Center next plays Dec. 14 at Newton.

Eighth grade — Valley Center's “A" team lost twice.

Against Maize South, the Hornets trailed by two at halftime, thanks to an effective full-court press. But the Mavericks pulled away in the second half to win 44-26.

“In the second half, we were awful at getting back defensively when Maize South would pull down rebounds that led to easy transition baskets for them," coach Laura Jordan said. “We need to improve on this so we allow our chances to stay in games."

Cheyenne Blackwood led the Hornets with 13 points.

“She took the challenge I gave them all about being aggressive offensively," Jordan said.

Halle Brittain scored six, Heidi Meyer five and Amelia Farney two.

Valley led Andover by one after the first quarter, but trailed at halftime and never recovered, losing 18-12. Jordan said the girls came out flat.

“Our defense was poor, and we got into early foul trouble," she said. “Initially, we seemed to be running our offense well, but Andover began to pressure us more which we didn't handle well. We refused to attack the basket, which led to several turnovers. We ended with 30 for the night; I'm surprised we didn't lose by more with turnovers being that high."

Brittain scored eight, while Farney and Alexus Bowen each scored two.

The “B" team split two games.

Valley could get nothing going offensively and lost to Maize South 22-6.

“We've got to do a better job of seeing the whole floor and taking care of the ball," coach Melissa Fehrenbach said. “Aidaly Rascon did a great job tonight. She played with great intensity, was aggressive and made good choices."

Annalyn Ricker, Jayda Williams and Annalisa Lerma each scored two points.

Despite only three points in the first half, Valley still led by pitching a shutout of Andover. The second half was all even as the Hornets won 12-9.

Fehrenbach also thought her team came out flat.

“We struggled to handle the pressure out top leading to several turnovers," she said. “We had some good looks inside when we ran our secondary break, but struggled to finish. The girls picked up the intensity in the last few minutes which led to us holding onto the lead."

Ricker led the team with six points. Ella Wiechman scored three and Williams two.

Seventh grade — The “A" team won twice.

They outscored Maize South 12-1 in the third quarter and coasted to a 30-21 victory.

“We struggled with our zone offense tonight and got a late start, but in the end, our intensity and ball movement helped us come out on top," coach Amy Doty said.

Kelsie Kinniburgh led Valley with 10 points, and Mykah Klumpp added eight. Ali Coasch had six, Mya Thompson four and Maci George two. Kaitlyn Fetty pulled down six boards.

Valley Center outscored Andover 11-2 in the second quarter and held on to win 17-12.

“We still struggle with turnovers, but the season has just begun," Doty said. “We do a great job of getting steals, but need to finish."

Kinniburgh had eight points, Thompson seven and Rachel Edwards two. Thompson, Kinniburgh and Kaitlyn Fetty each grabbed five rebounds.

The “B" team posted a pair of wins.

Valley held Maize South scoreless until the fourth quarter and rolled to a 21-9 victory.

“I loved the defensive intensity of all the girls," said coach JoAnn Owens. “Ashlyn Nelson had numerous defensive rebounds that lead to fast breaks and points for us. Savinnah Bretton continues to pound the offensive boards as well."

Rylin Ramsay led Valley's balanced attack with six points. Taylor Bruckner had five, Sophia Gordon and Savinnah Bretton each scored four, and Rachel Edwards had two.

Valley led Andover 13-0 at halftime and won going away, 25-4. The Trojans didn't score until third quarter.

“The girls played so well as a team," Owens said. “Defensively, we are strong on the rebounds."

Eight Hornets got into the scorebook, led by Kennedy Johnson and Bretton with six each. Edwards had four, while Lucy Hooper, Emma Taylor, Nelson and Bruckner had two apiece. Ramsay rounded out the scoring with one.

Bretton and Gordon each had several rebounds.