Cards top Algona and move on in Regional play

The Garner-Hayfield/Ventura girls are hitting on all cylinders at just the right time of the season, heading into Regional play.  The team topped Lake Mills and went on to advance in the Class 3A Region 2 tournament with a win over Algona. 

GHV 60, Lake Mills 56

It was a battle to the end for the GHV girls when they traveled to Lake Mills (10-10, 11-11) on Tuesday, Feb. 10.

It was back-to-back scoring in the first quarter, with the Cardinals managing a slight 12-8 lead at the end of the period.

The Bulldogs went on a five point run to open the second quarter and take the lead, 13-12.  Lake Mills ended the second quarter collecting five more unanswered points and took a 28-21 lead into the half.

“We got off to a fairly good start in this game, but had a miserable second quarter which found us in a hole at halftime,” said Coach Matt Erpelding.  “Again we made some adjustments and changed our lineup a bit, which allowed us to get back into the game in the third quarter.”

Mackenzie Haag was hitting the threes in the third quarter to pull to within three, 36-33.  The Cardinals still trailed heading into the fourth quarter, 39-37.

Haag again hit a three to regain the lead with 4:23 remaining in the game, 46-45.  From there, GHV collected five more unanswered points to go up, 51-45.  Lake Mills didn’t rollover, however, and with :07 remaining pulled to within two, 58-56.  Hannah Lau was fouled with :06 remaining in the game.  She connected on both free throws to capture the 60-56 victory.

“We executed late game situations extremely well and were able to make enough free throws to hold on for the win,” said Erpelding.

Three players scored in double figures to lead the team.  Jillian Heitland recorded 19 points, while Lau had 16 and Haag, who was 3/6 from the three-point line, scored 12 points.  Grace Tusha added nine and Sydney Younge rounded out the scoring with four points.

Tusha led the team under the boards with 10 rebounds to go with her two steals and one blocked shot.  Heitland had six rebounds, while Lau, Haag and Younge all had five boards.

Haag led the team in assists and steals, with four in each category.  Younge had two assists, one steal and two blocked shots.

GHV 45, Algona 35

It was a defensive battle from beginning to end when the Cardinals faced Algona on Saturday, Feb. 14, in the first round of the Class 3A Region 2 tournament.

“We were two totally different teams,” said Coach Matt Erpelding.  “They like to get a lot of their offense from the perimeter and we wanted to pound the ball inside and attack the rim with all five girls.”

The first half saw back-to-back scoring, with the lead changing hands a couple of times.  GHV managed a slight three-point lead by halftime, 22-19.

The third quarter was more of the same, with the Cardinals managing to increase the lead by five, 34-29.

The Cardinals stifling defense took its toll on the Bulldogs in the fourth quarter.  The Cards held Algona to just six points. Free throws were also key, as GHV connected on 7/8 freethrows in the fourth quarter to pull off a 45-35 victory.

“Our defense was pretty solid all night, but especially in the fourth quarter,” said Coach Matt Erpelding.  “We limited our turnovers and did an outstanding job shooting free throws.”

Emily Spilman was back in action after an injury and led the team in scoring with 15 points.  Hannah Lau, Grace Tusha and Sydney Younge all contributed eight points apiece.

Tusha had a fantastic night under the boards, hauling in 14 rebounds.

Lau and Younge led the team in steals with two apiece.  

Mackenzie Haag led the team in assists with five.

“I am very proud of the effort from my girls, as we came into this game with a lot of focus and determination and played 32 outstanding minutes of basketball,” said Erpelding.

The Cardinals face Clear Lake in the next round of Class 3A Regional 2 play.  The game will be played in Clear Lake on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m.