Ark Valley News - Middle school girls win five games against Hutch, Derby North

Middle school girls win five games against Hutch, Derby North
By The News staff
Last Updated: December 10, 2015

The Valley Center Middle School girls basketball team played at Hutchinson on Dec. 3 and hosted Derby North on Dec. 7. Against Hutchinson, both eighth-grade teams lost, while both seventh-grade teams won. Against Derby North, only seventh-grade "A" lost.

Eighth grade

Valley's "A" team dominated Derby North, tossing a 21-0 shutout in the first quarter and coasting to a 33-10 win. Ellie Shank had 11 points to lead eight players in the scorebook, as Valley improved to 2-1.

"Derby North struggled handling the pressure the girls put on, and we were able to take control from the tip," said coach Laura Jordan.

Kassie Kinniburgh scored eight points for Valley Center, and Riley Ranzau added four. Chipping in with two points each were Sophia McNiel, Abigail Wolf, Elena Schmelzle, Carlie Claussen and Kate McDonald.

The "A" team dropped its first game of the year, 40-27, to Hutchinson.

"The girls started out well with their secondary offense, but began struggling with running the offense and creating opportunities to score," Jordan said. "Hutchinson ran a strong offense that we struggled to maintain."

Claussen led the Hornets with nine points. Shank had five, Schmelzle and Kinniburgh each scored four, McDonald had three and Wolf two.

Tied with Derby North at halftime, Valley's "B" team broke the game open in the second half to post its first win of the season, 32-14. The Hornets outscored Derby North 18-0 in the third quarter and 14-4 in the fourth and improved to 1-2.

Kylee Dawson scored 11 points for Valley Center.

Coach Melissa Fehrenbach said the press was the difference in the game.

"The girls had a rough first half by getting out-hustled," she said. "We added our press and picked up the intensity in the second half and were able to pull away. Kylee Dawson did a great job of attacking the basket and making smart passes."

Allie Decker scored eight points, with Sophia McNiel adding five and Chloe Martens four. Scoring two points each were Alex Barbour and Deonce Anderson.

Hutchinson's six-point lead after the first quarter of the "B" team game proved to be the margin of victory in a 23-17 win over Valley Center.

"The girls struggled with defensive positioning and offensive execution," Fehrenbach said. "We were able to draw fouls and score when we began attacking the basket and getting aggressive."

Danielle Edwards had nine points for the Hornets. Dawson and Anderson each scored three, and Decker added two.

Seventh grade

It was a tough night for Valley Center's "A" team as it went scoreless in the first quarter and lost to Derby North 35-10. Tanza Holmes with six points and Caitlin Edwards with four accounted for all of Valley's scoring. The Hornets are now 1-2 on the year.

"The girls came out slow in the first half and dug themselves into a hole," said coach Kaitlin Woellhof. "The second half, I did see more energy, but as a team, we still have more to work on."

Behind 10 points from Emma Anderson, the "A" team posted its first win of the season, 18-13, over Hutchinson. The Hornets outscored Hutch 10-0 in the middle two quarters.

"The girls did a much better job taking care of the ball tonight," Woellhof said. "Emma was great in the post, and I'm proud of our girls' effort through the entire game."

Lexi Eddy had four points, with Tanza Holmes and Edwards adding two each.

A 12-2 first quarter got the "B" team off to a good start as it posted an easy 28-8 win over Derby North. Zoey Taylor scored 10 points for the Hornets, which recorded its second win against one loss.

"The girls had a great game. They have a lot of heart and hustle," said coach Brianna Reyes. "I was really impressed with how they crashed the boards tonight. Makayla Hayden did an exceptional job of getting offensive rebounds."

Macy Ostrom added six points, while Fantasia Sams, Makayla Hayden and Lindsey Isham each had four.

A 15-1 halftime advantage propelled the "B" team to its first win of the season, 21-5, over Hutchinson.

"The girls did a really nice job playing hard tonight," Reyes said. "It's good to see girls starting to step up as leaders. Claire Bachman did an especially good job tonight making some things happen for our offense."

Bachman scored six points for Valley Center. She was aided by four points from both Taylor and Teagan Horning, three from Ostrom and two each from Sams and Hayden.