ARGYLE — The Orioles pressed Benton into submission with a 63-40 win Nov. 29. Argyle coach Nicole Allison said the tale of the tape would be the Orioles’ defense and senior leadership.
Senior Jena Saalsaa scored 26 points to lead all scorers, putting 10 points on the board in the first half before taking over the game in the second half.
“Jena Saalsaa took control of offensive possessions and made outstanding moves in the lane to draw fouls and put herself on the line,” Allison said. “Kirsten Ostby and McKenzee Granberg put a ton of pressure on Benton’s guards and forced turnovers that we were able to capitalize on with quick baskets.”
In the first half, Natalie Allison and Alysabeth Lantz got into early foul trouble, but the press kept Benton from getting into an offensive rhythm. The Zephyrs (2-2) tried to slow down Argyle’s offensive prowess by countering with a zone defense, but the Orioles led 27-12 at the break.
Freshman Tori Lantz had 10 points, while four other Orioles had at least five.
“We continue to work on the nuances of pressure defense and our goal is to capitalize on the turnovers that our press can create. We have offensive threats that are deep and balanced this year,” coach Allison said. “Freshman Maggie Godfrey got her first varsity basketball experience against the Zephyrs. Maggie was the spark plug for our team. Her energy and speed was needed to push the temp of the game. She did really well working with the upperclassmen and was a difference maker for the game.”
Coach Allison added that free throw shooting needs to improve as the season goes along, as Argyle (2-0) shot just 8 of 19 from the charity stripe in the game.
The Orioles host Black Hawk (3-0) in a matchup with big conference implications Dec. 6. Black Hawk handily defeated Argyle twice last season as they cruised to the conference crown, while Argyle finished tied for second.
Monticello 70, Madison Country Day 11
MONTICELLO — The Ponies held Country Day to just two points in the second half in a dominating effort Nov. 29.
Alyssen Noriega led all scorers with 23 points, while Abby Wicker and Harley Disch also reached double figures with 11 points each. Miah Brokopp had nine for Monticello.
The Ponies (2-2) led 36-9 at halftime and outscored Country Day (0-3) 34-2 in the second half.
Monticello 43, Barneveld 30
BARNEVELD — The Ponies led 22-15 at halftime and picked up a major conference win.
Noriega and Disch each had 10 points for Monticello, while teammate Mackie Errthum had eight.
The Ponies were set to host Wayland Academy (0-1) Dec. 3 and hosts Pecatonica Dec. 6.
Darlington 55, Mineral Point 54
MINERAL POINT — Kaylee Meyers scored 19 as the Redbirds won a tight SWAL game on the road Nov. 30.
Casey Glendenning hit two 3-pointers and had 12 total points, while Brenna McDonald scored nine and Kathleen Mathias added eight for Darlington.
Darlington led 30-27 at halftime.
Black Hawk 70, Pecatonica 12
SOUTH WAYNE — Bailey Butler had 18 points and Natalie Leuzinger had 13 as the Warriors had nine players score and all 11 players see significant minutes in a conference-opening win over the Vikings Nov. 29.
Black Hawk led 38-5 after the first half thanks to their stifling press defense. The Warriors were 7 of 12 from the free throw line in the game and 3 of 12 from beyond the arc. Black Hawk made 30 of 60 shots from the field in total and had 25 steals and 20 assists to just eight turnovers and nine personal fouls.
Maddy Huschitt had eight points and four steals, while Hannah Butler had nine points, six steals, four rebounds and five assists. Bailey Butler led Black Hawk in all four major categories with five rebounds, six assists and seven steals.
Pecatonica (1-3) next hits the hardwood Dec. 6 at Monticello (2-2).
Black Hawk (3-0) was scheduled for a Dec. 4 game at Platteville (2-0) and on Dec. 6 travels to Argyle.
Albany 66, Juda 26
JUDA — The Comets received 23 points and five 3s from Payton Zurfluh to help snag a road conference win Nov. 30.
Zurfluh hit all five 3-pointers and had 19 points as the Albany led 41-13 at halftime. Libby Beck finished with 11 for Albany, which had nine players score in the contest.
Juda’s Montana Steinmann had 15 points, hitting 11 of 20 free throws.
