Pierce Lady Jays Basketball
Varsity Lady Jays Take on Hartington/Newcastle
by Rhayna Waldner
The varsity Lady Jays took on the Hartington/Newcastle Bobcats on Saturday, December 9, on the road. After a close game through all quarters, the Lady Jays fell to the Bobcats 37-43.
The Lady Jays came out strong to begin the game by scoring 15 points. Sidney Zimmerer made a free throw, and Maggie Brahmer made a basket for two and a free throw. Carly Sutherland added four points, and Kayla Simmons came out strong by making two two-point shots and a three-pointer. Going into the second quarter, the Lady Jays had the lead 15-10.
In the second quarter, the Lady Jays struggled offensively and scored only two points from Brenna Collison. Allowing the Bobcats to score nine, the Lady Jays headed into halftime down 17-19.
Coming out of halftime, the Lady Jays put up ten points. Simmons and Collison added a three-point basket and a two-point bucket, respectively, and Sutherland sank two free throws and a basket. Going into the final quarter of the game, the Lady Jays trailed the Bobcats 27-31.
In the final quarter, the Lady Jays scored ten more points. Zimmerer and Simmons each added a three-pointer, and Sutherland made a basket along with two free throws. Not being able to pull out a win, the Lady Jays fell 37-43.
Coach Darren Sindelar said, “We need to be consistent in our offense against zone defenses. Our ball movement needs to improve. Defensively, our first rotation in help was good, but we had too much watching on second and third rotations. We gave them too many open looks. Defensively, I thought we played good man throughout the game. We started the game strong. We need to be consistent in all areas of the game. We have times we play really well, and at times, we don’t play well at all. We need to be steady.”
Simmons led the Lady Jays in scoring with 13 points, and she also had three steals. Maggie Brahmer had 11 rebounds and four assists. Sutherland had one block.
The varsity Lady Jays’ next game will be against the Scotus Shamrocks in Columbus on Friday, December 15.
Varsity Lady Jays Pick Up First Win of Season
by Rhayna Waldner
The varsity Lady Jays took on the Boone Central/Newman Grove Cardinals at home on Friday, December 8. The Lady Jays pulled out their first win of the season with a score of 54-42.
In the first quarter of play, the Lady Jays were able to put up nine points to the Cardinals’ six. Sidney Zimmerer started of the game with a three-point shot, and Carly Sutherland added a two-point shot. Maggie Brahmer also aided the team by adding two more baskets.
Keeping their momentum on the offensive end of the floor, the Lady Jays put up 15 points in the second. Sutherland had a strong quarter by making three two-point baskets and two free throws. Zimmerer sank a three-point shot, Brahmer made another basket, and Brianna Aguilera made a shot for two. Allowing the Cardinals to score 12, the Lady Jays led 24-18 heading into halftime.
The Lady Jays did not show any signs of backing down in the third quarter and scored 19 points. Kayla Simmons and Zimmerer each added a three-point basket, Aguilera made another shot, and Brahmer made a basket for two. Sutherland continued to play well on the offensive end by making four two-point shots and a free throw. Heading into the final quarter of the game, the Lady Jays kept the lead 43-31.
In the final quarter of the game, the Lady Jays put 11 more points on the board. Simmons made a basket for two and a free throw, and Zimmerer made two free throws. Collison added a free throw, and Sutherland sanks three more free throws and a two-point shot. Not allowing the Cardinals to make any kind of comeback, the final score was 54-42.
The Lady Jays’ leading scorer was Sutherland with 24 points. Maggie Brahmer had 15 rebounds and three steals. Kayla Simmons and Sutherland each had a block. Sutherland also had five assists.
“I thought offensively, we moved the ball and took good rhythm shots,” said coach Darren Sindelar. “We did a good job on the offensive and defensive boards. We need to continue to improve our execution on the offensive end vs. zone defense. It was good to come away with the win. We controlled the tempo of the game for the most part.”
The varsity Lady Jays’ next game will be against the Scotus Shamrocks in Columbus on Friday, December 15.
Varsity Girls Battle Norfolk Catholic Knights
by Rhayna Waldner
The varsity Lady Jay basketball team took on the Norfolk Catholic Knights on Tuesday, December 5, at home. After a long game of comebacks, the Lady Jays fell to the Knights 43-52.
In the first quarter of the game, the Lady Jays struggled offensively and scored five points. Brenna Collison made a two-point basket, and Carly Sutherland made a basket worth two and a free throw. Allowing the Knights to score 12, the Lady Jays headed into the second quarter down 5-12.
During the second quarter, the Lady Jays worked to bring up their momentum and scored nine points. Maggie Brahmer made three free throws, and Sidney Zimmerer made a two-point shot. Collison and Sutherland also aided their team this quarter by each make a bucket worth two. On the defensive end, the Lady Jays were unable to be as scrappy as the Knights, allowing them to score 18 points. Heading into halftime, the Lady Jays trailed the Knights 14-30.
Coming out strong this quarter, the Lady Jays scored 15 points to Norfolk Catholic’s 10. Kenzie Moeller made a two-point basket, and Carly Sutherland made a shot worth two and a free throw. Kayla Simmons made a three-pointer and a free throw, and Zimmerer came out strong by making two three-point shots. Making a comeback, the Lady Jays trailed the Knights by only 11 going into the last quarter of the game 29-40.
In the final quarter of the game, the Lady Jays kept their offensive stride and scored 14 more points. Zimmerer stayed strong beyond the arc by making two more three-pointers, and Collison put in another two-point shot. Brianna Aguilera made a basket for two, and Sutherland added four more points to the score. Although the Lady Jays outscored the Knights this quarter, they were not able to overcome their early deficit and lost 43-52.
Zimmerer led the Lady Jays in scoring with 14 points, and Sutherland had 12. Brahmer led the team in defensive and offensive rebounds with five and three, respectively. Sutherland had five assists, and Brahmer and Simmons each had two steals. Sutherland also had three blocks.
Coach Darren Sindelar said, “In the second half, we did a good job on the offensive end. We moved and had good looks at the basket. We need to do a better job on the boards. We can’t let teams get second and third opportunities to score. We need to play a full four quarters of basketball. We played better in the second have, and I thought we played with more energy. We need to continue to get mentally and physically tougher. We need to practice at a high level so that carries over in a game.”
The varsity Lady Jays’ next game will be held Friday, December 15, in Columbus against the Scotus Shamrocks.
JV Girls Lose to Bobcats
by Montana Ruppert
The junior varsity Lady Jays’ basketball team lost in a tight game against Hartington/Newcastle Saturday, December 9, in Hartington. The final score was 16-17.
The JV girls were edged out 5-6 in the first quarter. Brianna Aguilera scored a three-pointer and two free throws for the Lady Jays. In the next quarter, the Lady Jays allowed six points and managed only two of their own, courtesy of Mikala Stone, to fall further behind the Bobcats. In the last quarter, Pierce outscored the Bobcats 9- 5. Marie Stone scored a three-pointer, Kenzie Moeller scored four points, and Hailey Abler scored two points. However, with the deficit being too much, the Lady Jays fell 16-17 after three quarters of JV play.
The next JV girls basketball game will be Friday, December 15, against Columbus Scotus at Columbus.
JV Lady Jays Fall to Cardinals
by Morgan Crist
The JV Lady Jays’ basketball team played the Boone Central/Newman Grove Cardinals at the home of the Jays on Friday, December 8, and finished the tight game with a loss of 29-33.
The Lady Jays led in scoring during the first quarter, outscoring the Cardinals 9-4. Kenzie Moeller shot six of these points with three two-pointers, while Hailey Abler also added a basket and Mikala Stone contributed a free throw.
Going into the second quarter, the Cardinals began to catch up with ten points, but Pierce edged them out with 12 to keep the lead. Abler put up two baskets and a free throw, Marie Stone had a three-pointer, and Rhayna Waldner and Faith Lubischer each had a basket apiece. This finished the half with a score of 21-14.
Staging a comeback after halftime, Boone Central/Newman Grove outscored Pierce in the third quarter 0-7, and during the fourth and final quarter, the Cardinals finished off the Lady Jays by scoring 11 points and holding Pierce to eight. Waldner had a basket along with two free throws, and Marie Stone contributed a two-pointer and free throw of her own. Abigail Meier also sank a free throw, but with the Cardinals outscoring the Lady Jays, the final score of the game had Pierce coming up short 29-32.
The JV girls will play their next game on Friday, December 15, at Columbus Scotus.
JV Lady Jays Defeat Norfolk Catholic Knights
by Angelica Volquardsen
The junior varsity Lady Jays’ basketball team played against the Norfolk Catholic Knights on Tuesday, December 5, at home and beat the Knights with an ending score of 35-29.
In the first quarter, starting off the game with a basket was Brianna Aguilera. Kenzie Moeller then came in hot with two three-pointers, and as the Lady Jays allowed the Knights just two points, this ended the first quarter with Pierce up 8-2.
In the second quarter, Rhayna Waldner was the only Lady Jay to score a basket, adding two points to the board, but Pierce’s scoring picked up in the third as Marie Stone made a three-pointer, followed by two more baskets and four free-throws made by Moeller. Aguilera made one free throw as well, and although the Knights were closing the gap, the Lady Jays remained ahead 22-19 after three.
In the fourth quarter, the Lady Jays sealed their victory as they outscored the Knights 13-10. Moeller scored 10 of the Lady Jays’ points, Hailey Abler added two free throws, and Faith Lubischer added one to end the fourth quarter with a score of 35-29.
The JV girls’ next basketball game will be held on Friday, December 15, in Columbus against Scotus.
Fr. Lady Jays Fall to Trojans
by Morgan Crist
The freshman Lady Jay basketball team fell to the HCC Trojans in their game on Monday, December 4, at the home of the Trojans with a final score of 26-32.
The first quarter, the Lady Jays held off the Trojans from scoring while putting up 12 of their own points. Hailey Abler contributed two baskets, while Abigail Meier and Kenzie Moeller each added one. In the second quarter, the Lady Jays and Trojans flipped their scoring points with 0 points for that Jays and 12 for Trojans. This ended the first half of the game with tie of 12-12.
During the third quarter, Pierce shot up six more points. Meier made four points with two baskets, and Abler added another two points. The Trojans answered back with seven points, putting the third quarter score at 18-19. Finishing the game, the Lady Jays scored eight points while the Trojans scored 13. Scoring for the Jays was Faith Lubischer with one free throw and a two-point shot. Moeller also had a free throw and a basket, and Abler added another basket for two for the Lady Jays. Despite their efforts, the game ended with the Trojans on top.
Coach Amber Engler said of the game, “The girls competed well and started the game very strong keeping them at 0 points at the end of the first quarter. We handled their full court, man-to-man press well the whole game. We will have lots to work on at practice going forward.”
The freshman girls’ next game will be at their home gym against Columbus Scotus on Saturday, December 16.
JH Lady Jays Take on Tourney
by Morgan Crist
The junior high girls’ basketball teams took on the Wayne tournament on Friday, December 8, at Wayne and split victories with GACC and Hartington CC.
In the A team’s first game, they played GACC and lost by a score of 16-47. In the first quarter, Pierce put up two points with one shot by Morgan Blecher. GACC soared over the Jays in this quarter with 12 points. The Lady Jays tried to catch up with five points scored in the second quarter. Four of the five points were scored by Kennedy Warneke with two two-pointers, and the fifth was a free throw from Gina Wragge. GACC kept their scoring streak high with an additional 17 points in this quarter. This ended the half with the Lady Jays down 7-29. Going into the third quarter, Pierce scored two points, both of which were free throws, one from Samantha Fischer and the other from Graison Pfeiffer. GACC would not quit and scored 15 more points in this quarter. In the fourth quarter, Pierce picked up their game with seven points scored. Payten Simmons had five of these points, while Kennedy Warneke scored the other basket. GACC dropped the ball their last quarter with only three points scored, but the deficit was too great for the Lady Jays, who took a loss.
In the next A team game the girls played Hartington CC and won 35-28. In the first quarter, Pierce scored nine points with six from Simmons and three from Warneke. Hartington CC tried to catch up with four points of their own but trailed the Lady Jays. In the second quarter, Pierce kept their lead, scoring 11 points to Hartington CC’s three. Simmons contributed six points, Alexus Sindelar added four, and Morgan Blecher tacked on a free throw. Going into the second half, both teams scored eight points each. Warneke made up half of Pierce’s points this quarter with two buckets, and Gina Wragge and Simmons contributed two points apiece. This put the score at the end of the third quarter at 28-15, Lady Jays. In the fourth quarter, Graison Pfeiffer put up two buckets and a free throw, and Fischer also added in two points. Even with Hartington CC outscoring the Lady Jays by three points, the final score of the game was 35-28 for a Lady Jay victory.
As for the Pierce B team, they faced Wayne first and won with a score of 31-22. In the first quarter, Pierce trailed as they scored seven points to Wayne’s 11. Scoring for the Jays were Marlie Kroupa, Ella Gaes, and Addison Sporleder each with a two-point shot. Brynlee Marks tacked on a free throw for the Lady Jays, as well. Going into the second quarter, Pierce added another six points to their score while holding Wayne to none. Sporleder, Marks, and Kroupa each contributed a bucket for the Lady Jays. This put the running score at halftime at 13-11. During the third quarter, Pierce put up seven points while Wayne managed just three. Gaes shot a two-pointer, as did Marks and Makinzie Parsons in the this quarter. Parsons also had a successful free throw. The fourth quarter was sealed with 11 Pierce points and nine for Wayne. Scoring for the Lady Jays were Kroupa with two baskets, Sporleder with one two-pointer and two successful free throws, Parsons with a two-point shot, and Marks with a free throw. This finished off the game with a score of 31-22.
The Pierce B team played GACC next and lost with a final score of 19-32. In the first quarter, Pierce put up six points, four of which were scored by Marks, and Kroupa also had a two-point shot. GACC doubled Pierce’s points with 12 in the first. In the second quarter, Pierce added five points to their score while GACC put up 11. Marks shot the only two-point shot for Pierce this quarter, while the other three points were free throws with two from Kroupa and one from Sporleder. This put the halftime score at 11-23. Beginning the second half, the Lady Jays added four points to their score, which were all made by Parsons with two two-pointers. Wayne put up five points this quarter to keep their lead. In the fourth, Pierce scored four points courtesy of Taylor Miller and Gaes, but the Blue Devils finished the game with four more points to put the final score at 19-32.
The junior high basketball girls will be in action again on Saturday, December 16, for the Norfolk Catholic tournament.
JH Lady Jays Face Off With Knights
by Morgan Crist
The junior high Lady Jays took on the Norfolk Catholic Knights in basketball at the home of the Jays on Tuesday, December 5. Pierce’s A team fell to the Knights, while the B and C Lady Jay teams took victories.
During the Lady Jays’ A game, four points were scored by Pierce in the first quarter. All four of these points were free throws, two from Morgan Blecher and two more from Kennedy Warneke. The Knights managed to put up two free throws, but the Lady Jays remained ahead.
During the second quarter, Warneke put up the only two Bluejay points with two successful free throws, and the Knights answered back with eight of their own points, bringing the score at halftime to 6-10, Knights. Starting off the second half, the Lady Jays put up two points with a shot made by Warneke. The Knights, however, shot four two-point shots along with a three-pointer to put up a total of 11 points this quarter. At the end of the third quarter, the score was 8-21. In the fourth and final quarter of the A game, the Lady Jays added six points to their score with three buckets. Courtesy of Payten Simmons, Warneke, and Graison Pfeiffer. The Knights outscored the Lady Jays again, putting up eight points to win the game 14-29.
Starting off the first quarter of the Pierce B game, Marlie Kroupa hit a three-pointer, which would be only points scored for both teams in the first. In the second quarter, the Lady Jays put up 10 points. Six of these were thanks to Makinzie Parsons with three buckets. Brynlee Marks also had a two-point shot in this quarter, and Addison Sporleder made two free throws. The Knights tried to catch up with a two-point shot but were unable to score more than that. This put the score at the end of the half at 13-2. As for the third quarter, Kroupa added another two points to the team score with one shot, while Marks made one of her two free throws. The Knights were given four free throws but only made one of these, and the score at the end of the third quarter was set at 16-3. During the fourth quarter, the Lady Jays put up a total of seven points. Two of these seven points were free throws made by Sporleder. Marks then made up the remaining five points with one successful free throw and two buckets. The Knights made a last-ditch attempt to catch up with three points scored this quarter, but the final score of the game favored the Lady Jays at 23-6.
The Pierce C team played a very close game with a final score of 9-8. In the first quarter, the Knights were held off from scoring, while Pierce’s Alyssa Cederburg made a shot for two points. In the second quarter, Pierce’s Kallie Edins had a two-pointer, as did Ella Gaes. With the Knights also scoring four, this put the half time score at 6-4. In the third quarter, the Knights tied up the game with two points added to their score, while Pierce was unable to put up any more points. In the fourth, the Lady Jays pulled through with three points scored while the Knights managed only two points. Scoring for Pierce were Raegan Theisen with a two-point shot and Ciara Garcia with a free throw. This sealed the game with a Lady Jay victory of 9-8.
Coach Brenda Fleecs said of the girls’ games this week, “Norfolk Catholic was very tall, but we did a very good job getting rebounds regardless of the height. Our guards played very aggressively.”
The next junior high girls’ basketball game will be Saturday, December 16, in the Norfolk Catholic tournament.
