In the first matchup of the season, Dec. 17, the Class 2A, No. 14 Maquoketa Valley Wildcats used a strong second half to outlast Edgewood-Colesburg in a Tri-Rivers Conference, West Division girls’ basketball game.
A triple from MV’s Lanni Beaman opened the game’s scoring, but a pair of baskets from Lilee Boriskey gave the Vikings the lead. Bianka Ronnebaum’s bucket put MV back ahead, 5-4, but six straight points for Ed-Co gave them a 10-5 lead. After a pair of free throws from Grace Richter, Viking coach Steve Putz wanted a timeout with 1:41 left in the opening quarter. Baskets from Boriskey and Kendall Wittman put the Vikings ahead 14-7 after one quarter.
Ronnebaum couldn’t convert the and-one, then a 1-of-2 trip to the charity strip for Boriskey made it a 15-9 game. A Richter bucket made it a four-point game with 6:36 left before half and MV coach Scot Moenck used his first timeout. A quick 6-2 run for the Wildcats knotted it at 17 and forced another Viking timeout, this one with 5:44 to go until halftime. Another scoring run for MV put them ahead 24-19 and, after another Ed-Co timeout, the Vikings scored six straight to regain the lead 25-24. Lexi Halverson’s bucket made it 26-24 MV, but with three seconds left in the half, a steal-and-score from Boriskey gave Ed-Co a 27-26 lead at halftime.
“We turned it over a lot in that first half and gave them way too many extra possessions. We gave up position inside a few times, but those are things that we can’t do and they took advantage of it,” MV coach Scot Moenck said.
“I thought we handled their full-court pressure alright in the first quarter and with the lead we had after the first quarter, I could not have asked for a better start,” coach Putz said. “They made a run in the second quarter, where we struggled a little bit with their press. We did a great job of responding and took a one-point lead into halftime.”
Ronnebaum and Richter combined for an 11-0 scoring run, put the Wildcats up 10, 37-27 and forced a Viking timeout with 5:24 left in the third quarter. Six straight points for Ed-Co made it 37-33, before a basket from Leah Reicher stopped the run. Ellie Kirby’s 1-of-2 trip to the line, followed by Ronnebaum’s bucket made it 41-34 after three quarters.
Ronnebaum connected for three to open the fourth quarter and, after a Wildcat timeout with 6:26 left in the game, a 6-0 run from Audra Burbridge and a basket from Knipper put the MV lead up to 18, 52-34. After a timeout from coach Moenck, a bucket from Rachel Eglseder and a three from McKenna Hoefer made it 55-39. Kirby knocked in a pair of free throws, Richter scored down low and Burbridge cashed a pair from the charity stripe, before Boriskey’s basket put the final tally at 59-43.
“We were smart with how we defended in that second half,” Moenck said. “We made a couple of adjustments in our press that seemed to work out, but I just think we did a better job at identifying their players better in the second half. I think our pressure wore on them, especially right out of the break, but we definitely had a coming to Jesus speech at halftime.”
After one quarter, it was looking to be a nail-biter between these conference rivals. Similar to the Clayton Ridge and Springville games, MV got out to a slow start.
“It was definitely an eye-opener, we have to get off to a better start,” Moenck said. “Bianka came out in the second half and put us on her back. Audra, her defensive pressure and finishing on the other end was spectacular. They are incredible players, but everyone on the floor needs to dial into what’s going on.”
Any coach would be happy with the start the Vikings had, up seven to a ranked conference foe, in their gym. But coach Putz knew Maquoketa Valley’s style of basketball.
“We knew that they were going to come out in the second half and get out on us, that’s what MV does, but with a young team, they weren’t 100% ready for it,” Putz added. “I was happy with how the girls responded after they got the lead in the second half, they executed everything they needed to be in a position to be in a close game in the fourth quarter. I think we got pretty worn out in the fourth, then they hit a couple of threes that took the wind out of our sails and put the final score to what it was. Our plan defensively was to take away the inside. We knew they wanted to get it inside to Richter and I thought we did a pretty good job at defending down low.”
MV’s statistical leaders were: points — Ronnebaum 18, Audra Burbridge 15, Richter 13, Knipper and Reicher four, Lanni Beaman three and Halverson two; rebounds — Halverson seven, Richter six, Ronnebaum five, Burbridge four, Reicher and Beaman three and Knipper two; assists — Knipper seven, Burbridge three, Ronnebaum two and Richter one; steals — Ronnebaum six, Burbridge four, Knipper three, Richter two and Halverson one; blocks — Burbridge one.
Ed-Co’s statistical leaders were: scoring — Boriskey 19, Kirby 13, Hoefer five, Wittman four and Eglseder two; rebounds — Boriskey eight, Kirby six, Eglseder and McKenna Hoefer three, Ava Hoefer, Addi Schmelzer and Kendall Wittman one; steals — Boriskey and Kirby three and Schmelzer one; blocks — Kirby one.