Lady Jays Basketball
Varsity Girls Start Season With a Win
by Kailey Marks
The varsity Lady Jays started off their season off with a bang by winning a close game of 35-32 against the Howells-Dodge Jaguars on Thursday, November 29.
In the first quarter, the Lady Jays fell short 9-12. To start off, senior Maggie Brahmer scored a two-pointer for the Lady Jays, followed by senior Kayla Simmons with two free-throws. Brahmer then scored another two-pointer, and senior Brianna Aguilera finished off the first quarter with a three for the Lady Jays.
During the second quarter, Brahmer started it off with a two-pointer, with sophomore Kenzie Moeller also hit a two-pointer. Brahmer then scored another pair of two-pointers, along with Moeller. The Jaguars managed eight points in the quarter, and going into halftime, an intense score of 20-20 left both crowds on their toes.
Starting the second half, Lady Jays were on fire with the threes. Simmons started with a three, followed by Moeller, and then Fuerhoff. To finish off the third quarter, Moeller got fouled and shot for a free throw. With the Jaguars managing seven points of their own, the Lady Jays took the lead 30-27.
For the final quarter of the game, Simmons scored her second three-pointer for the night, followed by Brahmer with a two to finish off the night 35-32 after the Lady Jays held the Jaguars to five points in the final minutes.
Leading the Lady Jays in blocks was Brahmer with three, followed by Fuerhoff with two. Leading in assists were Fuerhoff and Moeller with three, followed by Simmons with two. Aguilera and Moeller had three steals each against the Jaguars.
Coach Darren Sindelar said that even for this being the first game, they played well as a team. A strength Sindelar saw was their passing the ball around well to find the person who could take the open shot. Of course, even with the with the great performance, there are always things to fix. Sindelar said the team will be working on being consistent, moving as one when the ball is in the air, and working on the defensive end. Sindelar said, “We are building depth. We were able to play nine girls. The more we can do that, the better it is going to help us down the road.”
The Lady Jays’ next game is Friday, December 7, at Boone Central starting at 5 p.m.
JV Lady Jays Take Down Jaguars
by Kenzie Moeller
The Pierce High basketball teams played their first home game of the 2018-19 season against the Howells-Dodge Jaguars. Coming out victorious, the JV Lady Jays defeated the Jaguars 35-32.
In the first quarter of the game, the Lady Jays’ scored two points on a layup from sophomore Abigail Meier, while the Jaguars managed to score six points to take an early lead. In the second quarter, the Lady Jays came out strong and scored seven points. Freshman Payten Simmons scored three points from free throws, and freshman Graison Pfeiffer scored four points with two two-point shots. The Jaguars also scored seven points to keep their lead. The Lady Jays ended the half behind 9-13.
Starting off the third quarter, the Lady Jays scored eight points. Pfeiffer scored three two-point baskets, and Simmons hit a two-point shot. The Jaguars scored just seven points but still held on to the lead. Heading to the final quarter, the Lady Jays’ were still behind 17-20. In the final quarter of the game, the Lady Jays found momentum and scored ten points. Simmons had one two-point shot, and Pfeiffer had four two-point baskets and two free throws. Once again, Jaguars scored seven points, leaving the Lady Jays and Jaguars tied 27-27.
In overtime, the Lady Jays scored eight points. Sophomore Mikala Stone made two free throws, and freshman Kennedy Warneke had two three-point shots. The Lady Jays’ defense let the Jaguars score only five points, and the Lady Jays’ were able to get a win with a final score of 35-32.
Coach Amber Henderson said, “I am proud of the girls and how hard they fought and grinded out the whole game until the end. We were down until the end, and that shows how we have fighters who didn’t give up.”
The JV Lady Jays’ next game will be held at Boone Central/Newman Grove on Friday, December 7.
