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Montezuma Bravettes rally in 2nd half of State tourney loss
DES MOINES — Montezuma Bravettes Coach Janel Burgess knelt down in front of her five starters while the rest of the team and coaches gathered around the bench.
It was just moments before the 1:30 p.m. tipoff of the game between the #8 Bravettes and the #1 North Linn Lynx in the Class 1A Iowa Girls’ State Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines Feb. 28.
Encouraging her team, Burgess said, “Give it your all and have fun.”
The game didn’t turn out as Montezuma had hoped. The Bravettes fell 68-38 to a tough Lynx team, but the experience for the young team was invaluable for future years.
In the early going, the Bravettes struggled against the full-court press of the Lynx, never quite finding their rhythm or the basket.
At the end of the first quarter, the Lynx lead, 11-2. At the half, the score was 35-6, North Linn.
The second half was a different story. Montezuma came out strong, played a great half of basketball and added 32 points in the final two periods.
The Lynx finished with 20 points in the third period and chipped in 13 more to finish the game with 33 points in the last half.
Ellen Cook led the Bravettes with 12 points and eight rebounds. Claire Erselius finished the game with 10 points and 14 rebounds, while Jadyn Sharer finished with five points and three rebounds.
Shiressa Wetering added five points and had three rebounds.
Vivian Cook, who went 0-for-3 from the three-point line, finished with two points and one steal. Jordan Ranfeld and Sydnee Burgess had two points each in the game.
Rylee Thompson, Laila Kercheval, Letisia Wilson, Lindsey Henry, Mya Smothers and Analeece Kercheval all came into the game late to get a taste of state basketball.
“North Linn is a great team,” Burgess said after the game. “We knew they were a great team. They have seasoned kids that have played this style for a really long time and you know that’s our aspiration to be able to start the game like we ended the game.”
Burgess said the second half was a great performance for the Bravettes.
“Our kids did exactly what they needed to do, which was be fearless and be able to just make adjustments as needed,” she said. “I’m just really super thankful for the effort that these kids gave us every single day.”
The Bravettes lose four seniors this year, Laila Kercheval, Izzy Roorda, Sharer and Ranfeld.
“We have a lot of kids coming back,” said Burgess. “We have a lot of things that we have to get better at. And that’s the joy of it.”
“It was really cool,” said Erselius. “I’m really grateful to get to experience it and I hope that we can come back next year.”
“It was pretty fun,” added Ellen Cook. “It was obviously an experience that we are all very grateful for and we’re just ready to get back next year.”
“Our aspirations are to not just be here, but to grow and to compete and to not have that fear mentality right away,” said Burgess. “And the good things is that we had young kids being led by great seniors who are going to pass the baton and expect these kids to do the same.”
This was the fifth time that Burgess has taken the Bravettes to the state girls’ tournament in the last seven yvtyears and the first since 2021.
Montezuma closes out the 2023-24 season with a 20-5 overall record.
