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Golden Bears win big over Bravettes in 1A quarterfinal
Wetering finishes with team high 11 points
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
DES MOINES — The first goal for any team playing Montezuma is to keep the Bravettes off the three-point line.
Bishop Garrigan did that, holding the Bravettes, who led Class 1A in both three-pointers made and threes attempted, to 1-of-15 shooting from deep.
The Golden Bears beat Montezuma 69-31 in the quarterfinals of the girls state basketball tournament Wednesday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
The Bears hit eight threes of their own in the game.
“They were very dynamic and athletic,” Montezuma coach Janel Burgess said. “Their pressure took away our three-point game.”
The Golden Bears jumped out to an early 16-8 lead after a quarter thanks to hot shooting from three, going 3-of-5 in the quarter.
The Bears took over the game completely in the second, outscoring the Bravettes 23-6 and took a 25-point lead to halftime.
“They really sped up our game a lot and made us have to get downhill,” Bravettes guard Ellen Cook said. “We weren’t exactly prepared for it.”
The Bravettes had 12 turnovers at half, and the Golden Bears were able to turn that into 16 points.
The game was pretty much out of reach heading into the second half, and the Golden Bears made it a 33-point game after three quarters.
Both teams put in some reserves in the fourth quarter, and the continuous game clock was activated as the Golden Bears led by more than 35 points.
“We got to the paint in some capacity, but ultimately we just can’t turn the ball over like we did and shoot what we did from the field,” Burgess said.
“Defensively I thought we knew what we needed to do, but we can’t give them second chance opportunities and transition baskets.”
The Golden Bears were led by a balanced starting five, with four in double figures.
Zoe Montag had 16, and Gracyln Eastman added a double-double (12 points, 14 rebounds) in the paint.
The Bravettes were led by their two seniors, Shiressa Wetering with 11 and Ellen Cook with nine.
“It’s definitely not how we wanted it to go, but it was a really fun ride,“ Wetering said. ”It was great to be back here and is such a blessing.“
Both Wetering and Cook hope to leave behind a legacy that will continue to next wave of success in the Bravettes’ basketball program.
“Just know to give it your all because everyone may doubt you, but we proved them all wrong,“ Ellen Cook said. ”We always believed in ourselves.“
The season ends at 19-6 for the Bravettes.
“These kids developed and played for a purpose bigger than themselves,” said Burgess. “ To be able to finish here was a wonderful accomplishment.”
The way the Golden Bears played is a reminder of how the game has changed and will continue to change. That may prompt the Bravettes to add new wrinkles to their style of play in the future.
“We need to develop and get deeper as a team moving forward,” Burgess said. “You can see where the game is changing. It is a full court game now.”
“We can adjust in the future and have skills we have to get better at.”
Four of the six main rotation players for the Bravettes will return next season.
Algona Bishop Garrigan 69, Montezuma 31
Class 1A Quarterfinal
At Des Moines
Montezuma (31): Ellen Cook 4-16 0-0 9, Vivian Cook 0-1 2-2 2, Sydnee Burgess 1-2 0-0 2, Claire Erselius 1-6 2-2 4, Shiressa Wetering 5-10 1-2 11, Lindsey Henry 0-0 0-0 0, Lauryn Larmore 0-3 0-0 0, Ryanne Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Sophia Semprini 0-0 0-0 0, Mya Smothers 0-0 0-0 0, Letsia Wilson 0-0 0-0 0, Alexa Rose 1-3 1-1 3, Khloe Krouse 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 12-41 6-7 31
Bishop Garrigan (69): Emmi Bartolo 4-8 0-0 10, Gracyln Eastman 5-10 2-4 12, Madelyn Tigges 3-5 5-5 11, Zoe Montag 5-13 2-4 16, Sacha Alesch 3-9 2-2 9, Alyssa Haugland 0-0 0-0 0, Brooklyn Berte 0-1 0-0 0, Addyson Faris 0-0 0-0 0, Shiloh Trainer 0-0 0-0 0, Lillian Erp-Wickman 0-1 0-0 0, Carley Nielson 3-4 0-0 6, Ava Roethler 1-1 2-2 5, Bree Ludwig 0-2 0-0 0, Totals 24-54 13-17 69
Montezuma..............8 6 12 5—31
Bishop Garrigan......16 23 20 10—69
3-points goals — Montezuma 1-15 (Ellen Cook 1-6, Vivian Cook 0-1, Erselius 0-3, Larmore 0-3, Rose 0-2), Bishop Garrigan 8-22 (Bartolo 2-4, Montag 4-9, Alesch 1-4, Erp-Wickman 0-1, Nielson 0-1, Roethler 1-1, Ludwig 0-2; Team fouls — Montezuma 9, Bishop Garrigan 13; Fouled out — none; Rebounds — Montezuma 22 (Wetering 6), Bishop Garrigan 38 (Eastman 14); Assists — Montezuma 4 (Ellen Cook 2), Bishop Garrigan 14 (Bartolo 6); Steals — Montezuma 6 (Vivian Cook, Erselius 2), Bishop Garrigan 12 (Alesch 4); Turnovers — Montezuma 19, Bishop Garrigan 12
