BLANCHARDVILLE - In Friday night's conference opener for both the Albany and Pecatonica girls basketball team, the outcome of the game was decided in the fourth quarter. For the majority of the game, the Vikings maintained the lead over the visiting Comets, but in the final quarter Albany took the lead and escaped with a 40-37 victory.
"They took a two-point lead in the fourth quarter, and we just weren't able to respond," said Pecatonica coach Scott Carlson.
For Albany, sophomore Marley Malkow paved the way, scoring a game-high 16 points. Emily Scoville led the way for the Vikings, scoring 11 points.
Highland 56, Argyle 50
HIGHLAND - For Argyle, Friday night's girls basketball game was a tale of two halves, and unfortunately for the Orioles, their efforts came up short, losing 56-50.
Head coach Kurt Ritschard's team saw an 18-point lead disappear in the third quarter, which continued into the fourth, as they were outscored by 10 points in the closing quarter.
"Any time you lose a lead like that, it's disappointing," he said. Coach Ritschard and his team hope to rebound next week, as they host conference foe Monticello on Tuesday.
Fennimore 60, Darlington 20
DARLINGTON - The visiting Fennimore girls basketball team proved to be too much to handle for the Darlington Redbirds, as they built an early lead and never looked back, winning by a score of 60-20.
Darlington coach Kelly Rose and her team entered halftime trailing by a score of 28 points and could not manage to keep pace with Fennimore throughout the second half.
"With our inexperience, ... we have to get better mentally," Rose said.
Junior Taylor Cox led the way for the Redbirds, scoring a team-high six points. Megan Vieth also contriubted four points.
Benton-Shullsburg 55, Juda 24
JUDA - Facing a quality opponent with home-court advantage, host Juda hoped to come away with a victory over visiting Benton/Shullsburg Friday night.
Unfortunately for Juda, the Zephers put together a series of runs, combined with a solid press, in a convincing 55-24 victory.
"They are a good team," said Panthers coach Curt Brown. "They do a good job in running their press."
For Benton, a pivotal stretch before halftime helped them amass a comfortable lead in securing the victory.
Seniors Molly Marass and Cheyenne Ambler led the way for the Panthers with six and five points, respectively.
Barneveld 68, Monticello 43
MONTICELLO - Friday night's conference game between Barneveld and Monticello was a matchup between last year's top two teams in the Six Rivers East girls basketball conference. In the end, it was Barneveld who ended up with the victory, outlasting the Ponies by a score of 68-43.
The game was close and intense at the start, with Barneveld entering the second quarter with a 15-14 lead over Monticello. However, the second quarter saw the visiting Golden Eagles start to pull away as they entered halftime with an 11-point lead.
Although coach Lori Brokopp's team had the lead at one point in the first half, Barneveld's defense was able to step up the pressure and force the Ponies to committ some errors.
"They (Barneveld) play a big game," Brokopp said. "They were able to get their hands on the ball and capitalize off of our turnovers."
The Ponies were led in scoring by junior Samantha DeVoe with 19 points including three 3-pointers. Also in the mix were juniors Courtney Leuzinger and Alyssah Kubly, who scored 10 and seven points, respectively.
"They took a two-point lead in the fourth quarter, and we just weren't able to respond," said Pecatonica coach Scott Carlson.
For Albany, sophomore Marley Malkow paved the way, scoring a game-high 16 points. Emily Scoville led the way for the Vikings, scoring 11 points.
Highland 56, Argyle 50
HIGHLAND - For Argyle, Friday night's girls basketball game was a tale of two halves, and unfortunately for the Orioles, their efforts came up short, losing 56-50.
Head coach Kurt Ritschard's team saw an 18-point lead disappear in the third quarter, which continued into the fourth, as they were outscored by 10 points in the closing quarter.
"Any time you lose a lead like that, it's disappointing," he said. Coach Ritschard and his team hope to rebound next week, as they host conference foe Monticello on Tuesday.
Fennimore 60, Darlington 20
DARLINGTON - The visiting Fennimore girls basketball team proved to be too much to handle for the Darlington Redbirds, as they built an early lead and never looked back, winning by a score of 60-20.
Darlington coach Kelly Rose and her team entered halftime trailing by a score of 28 points and could not manage to keep pace with Fennimore throughout the second half.
"With our inexperience, ... we have to get better mentally," Rose said.
Junior Taylor Cox led the way for the Redbirds, scoring a team-high six points. Megan Vieth also contriubted four points.
Benton-Shullsburg 55, Juda 24
JUDA - Facing a quality opponent with home-court advantage, host Juda hoped to come away with a victory over visiting Benton/Shullsburg Friday night.
Unfortunately for Juda, the Zephers put together a series of runs, combined with a solid press, in a convincing 55-24 victory.
"They are a good team," said Panthers coach Curt Brown. "They do a good job in running their press."
For Benton, a pivotal stretch before halftime helped them amass a comfortable lead in securing the victory.
Seniors Molly Marass and Cheyenne Ambler led the way for the Panthers with six and five points, respectively.
Barneveld 68, Monticello 43
MONTICELLO - Friday night's conference game between Barneveld and Monticello was a matchup between last year's top two teams in the Six Rivers East girls basketball conference. In the end, it was Barneveld who ended up with the victory, outlasting the Ponies by a score of 68-43.
The game was close and intense at the start, with Barneveld entering the second quarter with a 15-14 lead over Monticello. However, the second quarter saw the visiting Golden Eagles start to pull away as they entered halftime with an 11-point lead.
Although coach Lori Brokopp's team had the lead at one point in the first half, Barneveld's defense was able to step up the pressure and force the Ponies to committ some errors.
"They (Barneveld) play a big game," Brokopp said. "They were able to get their hands on the ball and capitalize off of our turnovers."
The Ponies were led in scoring by junior Samantha DeVoe with 19 points including three 3-pointers. Also in the mix were juniors Courtney Leuzinger and Alyssah Kubly, who scored 10 and seven points, respectively.
