Lady Jays Basketball
Launch the media gallery 1 playerVarsity Lady Jays Edge Out Shamrocks
by Rhayna Waldner
The varsity Lady Jays traveled to take on the Scotus Shamrocks on Friday, December 15. Taking down the Shamrocks on their home court, the Lady Jays took the win 28-27.
In the first quarter of the game, the Lady Jays were able to score seven points and allowed the Shamrocks to put up six. Sidney Zimmerer started off the game by making a three-point shot, and Brianna Aguilera put in two free throws. Also contributing to the score was Carly Sutherland with a basket.
The Lady Jays struggled offensively in the second quarter and were held to just four points. Sutherland added another two-point shot, and Maggie Brahmer made one of her own. With the Shamrocks scoring ten points this quarter, the game headed into halftime with the scoreboard reading 11-16, Scotus.
Coming out of halftime strong on both ends, the Lady Jays put up nine points. Kayla Simmons added a three-point basket, Brahmer made a two-point shot, and Sutherland made two more shots for the Lady Jays. Allowing the Shamrocks to take only two points, the Lady Jays took the lead heading into the final quarter 20-18.
In the final quarter of the game, the Lady Jays scored eight points. Zimmerer sank two free throws, while Brahmer made one. Sutherland made a three-point shot and a game-winning layup. The final score of the game was 28-27 with the Lady Jays taking the close win.
Individually for the Lady Jays, Sutherland had 11 points, and Brahmer had seven. Brahmer and Collison had 15 and 13 rebounds, respectively, and Brahmer also had two blocks. Simmons had two assists, and Brahmer had two steals.
Coach Darren Sindelar said, “We did a better a better job of being patient with the ball. In the second half, we spread the floor, and that helped open some passing lanes. We need to continue to work on executing our offense and getting a good shot on the offensive end. Against good defensive teams, you don’t get many good looks. When you do get a good look, you have to make it count. We set up a play at the end to get looks for Maggie, Carly, and Sidney. They are our most experienced players. Any three of those would have been good options at the end when the game got close.”
The Lady Jays’ next game will be held in O’Neill, and they will take on the Saint Mary’s Cardinals on Thursday, December 21.
Varsity Lady Jays Edge Out O’Neill
by Rhayna Waldner
The varsity Lady Jay basketball team traveled to O’Neill on Tuesday, December 12, to take on the Eagles. After a close game, the Lady Jays were able to edge out the Eagles 53-51.
Coming out strong right away, the Lady Jays scored 19 points in the first quarter. Maggie Brahmer started off strong and scored three baskets right away, and Kayla Simmons was able to sink a three-point shot. Sidney Zimmerer was able to score two two-point shots and a three-pointer. Allowing the Eagles to score 16 points, the Lady Jays led 19-16 heading into the second.
Keeping their momentum, the Lady Jays scored 12 points in the second quarter. Brahmer made another two-point basket, and Carly Sutherland made a free throw. Brenna Collison made a basket, and Zimmerer made two more two-point shots. Simmons was able to make another three-point shot. Letting the Eagles score only six points this quarter, the Lady Jays had the lead 31-24 going into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Lady Jays struggled on the offensive end and scored only seven points to O’Neill’s nine. Brianna Aguilera made a free throw, and Sutherland made a three-point shot along with another basket. Heading into the final quarter of the game, the Lady Jays led the Eagles 38-33.
In the final quarter of the game, both the Lady Jays and the Eagles battled until the end. The Lady Jays scored 15 points this quarter with the help of Sutherland, Collison, and Brahmer each making a two-point shot. Aguilera sank two free throws, and Zimmerer was able to make seven free throws to help her team get the narrow win 53-51.
Coach Darren Sindelar said, “I thought we did a good job of establishing our inside game early. Once we were able to get the ball inside to make the defense collapse, we were able to hit some outside shots. We are starting to communicate more. We were able to control the defensive boards for the most part. We still need to commit to the defensive end as a team. Everyone needs to do their job. Defensively, we need to find their shooters and make them take tough shots.We have to make sure all five girls are rebounding. On the offensive end, we need to execute and take care of the ball. If it comes down to free-throw shooting, we need the right people to have the ball in their hands and and step up to the line with confidence.”
Individually, Zimmerer led the Lady Jays in scoring with 19 points, and Brahmer had 12. Sutherland led the team in offensive rebounds with four, and Brahmer had 17 defensive rebounds. Brahmer also had five assists while Collison had four. Zimmerer had four steals, and Brahmer also had two blocks.
The Lady Jays’ next game will be held in O’Neill again next Thursday, December 12, this time to play Saint Mary’s.
JV Lady Jays Fall to Scotus in Overtime
by Rhayna Waldner
The basketball teams headed to Columbus to take on the Scotus Shamrocks on Friday, December 15. The JV Lady Jays played the first game of the night and lost a close game in overtime by a score of 27-33.
In regular quarters, both the the Lady Jays and the Shamrocks were able to put up 25 points. Rhayna Waldner, Mikala Stone, and Abigail Meier each made a two-point shot. Brianna Aguilera sank a free throw, and Zoe Brenden made two baskets along with a free throw. Kenzie Moeller added three two-point baskets along with two free throws, and Faith Lubischer made a shot and a three-pointer. With the score being tied up at the end of the fourth, the game headed into a four-minute overtime.
The Lady Jays struggled offensively in overtime and scored only two points from Marie Stone. The Shamrocks scored eight points to take the lead over the Lady Jays with a final score of 27-33.
The JV Lady Jays’ next game will be played in O’Neill against the Saint Mary’s Cardinals on Thursday, December 21.
JV Lady Jays Take on O’Neill
by Rhayna Waldner
The JV Lady Jay basketball team headed to O’Neill to take on the Eagles on Tuesday, December 12. Unfortunately for the Lady Jays, they fell to the Eagles 32-45.
In the first quarter, the Lady Jays struggled offensively and scored only three points. Brianna Aguilera made one free throw, and Marie Stone made a two-point shot. Going into the next quarter of the game, the Lady Jays trailed the Eagles 3-9.
Picking themselves up on the offensive end, the Lady Jays scored eight points in the second. Abigail Meier and Faith Lubischer each made a basket worth two, and Mikala Stone made a free throw. Hailey Abler also aided her team by making a two-point shot along with a free throw. Heading into halftime, the score read 11-21 with the Lady Jays still down.
Coming out of halftime, the Lady Jays kept their momentum on the offensive end by scoring 12 points but struggled on the defensive end. Meier made another basket, and Rhayna Waldner added two two-point shots. Kenzie Moeller also made two free throws and two baskets. On their way into the final quarter of the game, the Lady Jays were behind 23-37.
In the final quarter of the game, the Lady Jays outscored the Eagles for the first time in the game, putting up nine points allowing the Eagles to score eight. Faith Lubischer sank two free throws, and Zoe Brenden made a basket for two. Moeller also made a three-point shot. Despite their efforts, the Lady Jays were defeated 32-45.
The JV Lady Jays’ next game will be held in O’Neill on Thursday, December 21, against Saint Mary’s.
Freshman Lady Jays Fall to BCNG
Traveling to Newman Grove, the freshman Lady Jay basketball team faced the Boone Central-Newman Grove Cardinals on Tuesday, December 19. After a close game, the Lady Jays lost 18-20.
The Lady Jays got off to a slow start in the first quarter, putting up only three points courtesy of a shot from behind the arc by Faith Lubischer. The Cardinals put up nine of their own points to take an early lead. The Lady Jays started to come back in the second quarter, scoring six points and holding the Cardinals to four. Abigail Meier, Zoe Brenden, and Kenzie Moeller each scored a bucket for the Lady Jays, taking them into halftime trailing 9-13. The Lady Jays were able to keep the Cardinals to just three points in the third quarter as they scored six of their own with a basket apiece from Meier, Moeller, and Lubischer, putting the score going into the fourth at 15-16. Moeller scored another basket in the fourth, and Brenden added a free throw, but with both teams matching each others’ offensive efforts in the fourth and scoring three points, the Lady Jays came up short.
Coach Amber Engler said, “The girls played well, but things didn’t quite go our way in the end, and we ran out of time to answer back.”
The freshman team will play next in a triangular at Laurel-Concord/Coleridge on Tuesday, January 2.
Lady Jays Edge Out Shamrocks
by Morgan Crist
Pierce defeated Scotus in freshman girls’ basketball on Saturday, December 16, at the home of the Jays with a score of 35-32.
Making the first two points for the Lady Jays was Kenzie Moeller with two free throws. The next four points came from Hailey Abler and Moeller, each sinking two-pointers. Finishing off the first quarter was Moeller with two more successful free throws. With the Shamrocks outscoring the Lady Jays by two, this ended the first quarter with a running score of 8-10.
Flying into the second quarter, Abigail Meier and Mikala Stone each sank a two-pointer for the Lady Jays. This made up the only points for Pierce in this quarter. The score at halftime was 12-19 after Scotus put up nine points.
Shooting into the second half, Pierce picked up their offense and scored 12 points while Scotus had eight. The top Lady Jay scorer for this quarter was Moeller with six points. Mikala Stone, Faith Lubischer, and Zoe Brenden also each added two points. The score after three was 24-27 with the Lady Jays trailing.
In the fourth and final quarter, Pierce put up 11 points while Scotus tried to catch up with five. Five of Pierce’s 11 points were scored from the free throw line. Two were made by Mikala Stone, two by Moeller, and one by Meier. Moeller, Meier, and Mikala Stone each also added a two-point bucket. This ended the game with a score of 35-32, Lady Jays.
Coach Amber Engler said of the girls game, “We had a slow start for the morning but picked up the pressure in the second half and came back and were able to play smarter and harder to end up with the win.”
The freshman girls’ next game will be Tuesday, January 2, at Laurel when they play in a triangular against Laurel-Concord/Coleridge and Madison.
JH Lady Jays Play in Norfolk Catholic Tournament
by Morgan Crist
The junior high girls’ basketball team played against Wayne, Boone Central-Newman Grove, and Norfolk Catholic on Saturday, December 16, at the home of the Knights in a tournament. The A team went 1-1, while the B team was 0-2.
For Pierce’s A team, they played Wayne first and lost a tight game 24-27. In the first quarter, the Lady Jays were outscored 6-9. Scoring for the Lady Jays were Payten Simmons with two free throws and a two-point shot, and Morgan Blecher with a two-point shot. Going into the second quarter, Pierce put ten points and held Wayne to nine. Kennedy Warneke scored five of the Lady Jays’ points with a three-point shot and a two-pointer. Morgan Moeller followed with her own three-point shot. Simmons then added two free throws. Heading into the second half, the Lady Jays trailed slightly at 16-18. In the third quarter, both teams managed just three points with the Lady Jays’ coming from Simmons and Graison Pfeiffer. In the final quarter, Pierce finished with five more points, but Wayne outscored them with six. Simmons aided her team with two free throws, and Moeller made a three-pointer. This finished the game with a final score of 24-27.
In Pierce’s A team’s second game, they played Boone Central-Newman grove and won with a score of 25-16. Pierce came out and put up five points in the first quarter while BCNG put up four. The scoring Lady Jays were Gina Wragge with a three-pointer and Marlie Kroupa with a two-point shot. In the second quarter, Pierce upped their score by six while holding BCNG to three. The Lady Jays’ six points were made by Simmons, Kroupa, and Samantha Fischer. Going into the second half, Pierce was up 11-7. In the third, the Lady Jays scored another six points while BCNG was held to five. Alexus Sindelar shot a three-pointer for the Lady Jays, and Simmons followed up with a two-point shot. Pfeiffer finished the third quarter off with a successful free throw. In the fourth and final quarter, the Lady Jays shot eight points, which finished off the Blue Devils who scored just four more to leave the final score at 25-16.
For Pierce’s B team, the Lady Jays played Wayne first and finished with a loss of 11-22. The Lady Jays were unable to score in the first quarter, while the Blue Devils put up five points. In the second quarter, Pierce was outscored again 4-9. Scoring all of the Lady Jays points this quarter was Addison Sporleder with two two-point shots. Going into the second half, Pierce was down 4-14. In the third, the Lady Jays scored two points while Wayne edged them out with three. Makinzie Parsons made up Pierce’s two points with one shot. In the fourth, the Lady Jays scored five points, but the Blue Devils matched them to maintain their lead and take the win. Scoring for the Lady Jays were Sporleder and Parsons with a two-pointer apiece, and Ella Gaes finished it off with a successful free throw. This put the final score at 11-22.
For Pierce’s last game of the day, the B team played Norfolk Catholic. The Knights started out with four points scored in the first quarter, while the Lady Jays were unable to score. In the second quarter, the Knights moved farther ahead of the Lady Jays with 16 points scored, while the Lady Jays scored only one point courtesy of Parsons with a free throw. The score at the end of the first half was 1-20. Going into the second half, the Knights put up six more points, while Pierce put up two with a free throw apiece from Sporleder and Ciara Garcia. In the fourth and final quarter, Pierce was unable to score, while Norfolk made eight additional points. This put the final game score at 3-34.
Coach Brenda Fleecs said of the girls’ performance, “They played really well and improved a lot.”
The junior high girls will play their next game on January 4 against Creighton at home.
