BRODHEAD — The Brodhead Cardinals are 10-1 after defeating the Belleville Wildcats 48-35 in nonconference girls basketball on Tuesday, Jan. 6.
The game started out sluggish for both teams as freshman Libby Iserloth gave the Wildcats a brief 10-8 lead but senior Gretchen Kammerer tied it with a basket with 2:50 remaining in the first half. Senior Allie Dahl scored on a lay-up to give the Cardinals their first lead at 12-10 with 2:17 left in the half. Kammerer scored with 1:10 remaining in the half to make the halftime score 14-10.
The Cardinals never trailed in the second half as freshman Ella Olson hit two free throws and scored underneath to put the Cardinals in front at 28-19 with 10:24 left in the game. Senior Danica Demrow and Dahl made back-to-back layups to widen Brodhead’s lead to 38-25 with 5:45 left. Junior Nikole Schultz knocked down a three to get the Wildcats within 10 points at 38-28. Senior Toria Devoe got a layup for Belleville with 1:55 left to make it 44-32 but the Wildcats couldn’t get any closer as Dahl, Kammerer, and Olson made four free throws in the final minute.
Dahl scored 20 points and Kammerer scored 12 points for Brodhead. Devoe scored 15 points for Belleville with 12 of those points in the second half.
Brodhead coach Brian Kammerer said some adjustments in the second half really paid off. “It’s a credit to our kids defensively. I’m really proud of how we responded in the second half and secured the ball a little bit better and got some better looks in the second half and Allie kind of took over,” acknowledged Kammerer.
Dahl said she could feel a momentum shift in the second half after a slow start to the first half. “In the first half, we were a little slow to start. We just weren’t ready to go and I think we really brought it in the second half,” replied Dahl.
Brodhead (10-1) played a Rock Valley Conference crossover game at home against Jefferson on Thursday Jan 8. Belleville (5-5) faced Marshall in a Capitol South Conference game on Thursday, Jan. 8.
Albany-Monticello 59, Belleville 26
ALBANY — Albany-Monticello allowed just seven points in the second half in a 59-26 victory over Belleville in nonconference girls basketball on Monday, Jan. 5.
Sophomore Raegan Hollis paced the Space Stallions with 24 points and sophomore Heidi Olson came up 12 points for AM. But, it was the Space Stallions’ defense that stole the show. Albany-Monticello led 30-19 at halftime over the Wildcats and kept Belleville from getting any closer. Junior Nikole Schultz led Belleville with six points and junior Khylee Lietz and freshman Libby Iserloth each had five points for the Wildcats. Senior Toria Devoe scored three points, well under her average of 25.9 points per game.
Belleville (5-5) was scheduled to face Brodhead in a nonconference game on Tuesday Jan. 6 while Albany-Monticello (9-1) had a Six Rivers East conference game at Black Hawk on Thursday, Jan. 8.
Clinton 68, Monroe 57
CLINTON — The Monroe Lady Cheesemakers couldn’t get their offense going consistently and fell to the Clinton Cougars, 68-57 in a Rock Valley Conference crossover game on Tuesday, Jan 6.
The Cheesemakers quickly fell behind 21-8 but recovered to make the score 28-20. However, the Cheesemakers failed to score over the last 12 possessions of the first half and trailed 40-20 at halftime.
Monroe fought back in the second half and again got the deficit down to eight but could not get any closer.
Junior Braylee Friedrick led Monroe with 18 points. Sophomore Brynlee Scace put up 16 points, and senior Alexis Gertsch tallied 13 points in the loss for Monroe.
The Cheesemakers (3-6, 0-4) had a nonconference game at Madison West on Thursday, Jan 8.
