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Maquoketa Valley tops Montezuma, 38-35
Wildcats overcame nine-point deficit in second half
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
CEDAR RAPIDS — After a back-and-forth first quarter, Maquoketa Valley fought through runs and scoring droughts and overcame a flurry of Montezuma three-pointers in the third quarter to win 38-35 during Rivalry Saturday in Cedar Rapids.
The game was the second on the Rivalry Saturday slate.
Ranked third in Class 1A, the Bravettes faced tough challenges in their first two games of the season, and Saturday was no different.
“We’ve started off with a really tough schedule,” Montezuma coach Janel Burgess said. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint. We just got to continue to enjoy the process and get better.”
The first quarter was a fun, fast paced game as each team traded baskets.
Montezuma led 15-14 after one period.
Shireesa Wetering led all scorers, with six, while Maquoketa Valley had three players with four points each.
A Wetering jump shot started the second quarter, but the Bravettes did not score again in the quarter.
Bianka Ronnebaum scored four straight for the Wildcats to take the lead.
Scoring stalled at 20-17 Maquoketa Valley for over five minutes of play.
The Wildcats added one more score from Leah Reicher to take a five-point lead into half.
After a seven-minute scoring drought for the Bravettes in the second, the Wildcats went on a long scoring drought in the third, scoring only two points.
The Bravettes got hot from three-point range, hitting four shots in the quarter.
Ellen Cook, Vivian Cook, Claire Erselius and Lauryn Larmore all hit from the three-point arc.
Vivian Cook hit a two-point floater in the quarter, and the Bravettes took a 31-24 lead into the fourth.
The Wildcats were able to force several Bravettes’ turnovers in the fourth and tied the score at 32 with a jump shot from Audra Burbridge.
“We got to take care of the ball better,” Burgess said. “We can’t have seven turnovers in the fourth.”
Down 38-35 with 28 seconds remaining, the Bravettes had two opportunities from three to tie the game, but neither shot fell.
Grace Richter led all scorers with 14 points.
Vivian Cook led the Bravettes with 10.
“We’re so young and new in so many positions, I was really proud of us overall (today),” Burgess said. “We rebounded the ball much better than we did our previous two outings.”
Next up for the Bravettes is a matchup at Lynnville-Sully Tuesday.
