SOUTH WAYNE - Monticello senior Samantha DeVoe knows the Monticello girls basketball team plays at its best when they are in transition.
DeVoe scored a game-high 16 points and had five steals to lead the Ponies to a 52-28 win over Black Hawk Thursday.
"We get a lot more confidence when we get those steals in the 2-3 zone," DeVoe said. "Our defense created some great offense. It felt good to get a win the second half of the season. We are trying to get that first regional seed. It was really a team effort."
Monticello senior Alyssah Kubly had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds and senior Courtney Leuzinger added eight points.
Monticello (9-6, 5-2 Six Rivers East) went on a 12-2 run in the first quarter to set the tone. Monticello senior Jordan Garrison had a steal and layup and DeVoe had a steal and layup to spark the Ponies' surge.
The Ponies put the game away with a 16-3 run in the second quarter. With the loss, Black Hawk drops to 3-10, 2-4. Leuzinger knocked down a jumper with 6 minutes, 35 seconds left in the second quarter to give the Ponies a 20-4 lead. DeVoe drained a 3-pointer and senior Mackenzie Zanow drilled a jumper to give the Ponies a 24-4 lead with 4:40 to go. DeVoe scored on a layup at the end of the second quarter to give the Ponies a 30-7 lead at the half.
"We went into the half and I looked at the shot chart and we had a lot of shots inside the paint and three jumpers from both the left and right," Monticello coach Lori Brokopp said. "That was a sign that we were getting the ball inside. In the first half, our ball movement couldn't have been any better. They saw the floor really well and we had a great inside-out game."
Black Hawk junior Aleigha Sigafus scored a team-high 12 points and had eight rebounds. The Ponies shot a blistering 61.9 percent in the first half (13 of 21).
"They (Monticello) shot phenomenal," Black Hawk coach Mike Flanagan said. "I was disappointed in our effort at times. I think that is the first time I have said that this year. They were getting the 50-50 plays and the loose balls more than we were. Monticello has been 20 points better than us twice. I was hoping that we would close that gap. They probably have three all-conference players. They have some of the best players in the league. You need kids like that to win consistently in this league. We are disappointed with where we are at this juncture shooting the ball and defensively. You just have to get back into the gym and fight and fight."
Black Hawk freshman Hannah Herbst scored eight points. The Warriors shot 27.9 percent (12 of 43) and committed 14 turnovers.
"We are asking kids to do things they haven't been asked to do before," Flanagan said. "I thought Abby Baumgartner and Brianna Hagen played hard. I think Hannah Herbst will be a really good player. From the results of this game, I think we need to spend 80 percent of our time in practice shooting."
Sigafus is the only player for the Warriors shooting 40 percent or better on the season.
"That kid (Sigafus) has kind of been our money player," Flanagan said. "It behooves us to get her touches."
The Ponies played a 2-3 zone throughout the game and had some success pressuring the ball and playing the passing lanes to cause havoc and get out on the break.
"I knew they would be looking for her (Sigafus)," Brokopp said. "We wanted to make it tough on her. We have been working on a 2-3 zone and this was a good time to test it. Sam and Jordan (Garrison) did a good job of playing up top and stealing the ball. Sam came from behind and got some steals. She goes hard. She's a spark for our team."
DeVoe scored a game-high 16 points and had five steals to lead the Ponies to a 52-28 win over Black Hawk Thursday.
"We get a lot more confidence when we get those steals in the 2-3 zone," DeVoe said. "Our defense created some great offense. It felt good to get a win the second half of the season. We are trying to get that first regional seed. It was really a team effort."
Monticello senior Alyssah Kubly had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds and senior Courtney Leuzinger added eight points.
Monticello (9-6, 5-2 Six Rivers East) went on a 12-2 run in the first quarter to set the tone. Monticello senior Jordan Garrison had a steal and layup and DeVoe had a steal and layup to spark the Ponies' surge.
The Ponies put the game away with a 16-3 run in the second quarter. With the loss, Black Hawk drops to 3-10, 2-4. Leuzinger knocked down a jumper with 6 minutes, 35 seconds left in the second quarter to give the Ponies a 20-4 lead. DeVoe drained a 3-pointer and senior Mackenzie Zanow drilled a jumper to give the Ponies a 24-4 lead with 4:40 to go. DeVoe scored on a layup at the end of the second quarter to give the Ponies a 30-7 lead at the half.
"We went into the half and I looked at the shot chart and we had a lot of shots inside the paint and three jumpers from both the left and right," Monticello coach Lori Brokopp said. "That was a sign that we were getting the ball inside. In the first half, our ball movement couldn't have been any better. They saw the floor really well and we had a great inside-out game."
Black Hawk junior Aleigha Sigafus scored a team-high 12 points and had eight rebounds. The Ponies shot a blistering 61.9 percent in the first half (13 of 21).
"They (Monticello) shot phenomenal," Black Hawk coach Mike Flanagan said. "I was disappointed in our effort at times. I think that is the first time I have said that this year. They were getting the 50-50 plays and the loose balls more than we were. Monticello has been 20 points better than us twice. I was hoping that we would close that gap. They probably have three all-conference players. They have some of the best players in the league. You need kids like that to win consistently in this league. We are disappointed with where we are at this juncture shooting the ball and defensively. You just have to get back into the gym and fight and fight."
Black Hawk freshman Hannah Herbst scored eight points. The Warriors shot 27.9 percent (12 of 43) and committed 14 turnovers.
"We are asking kids to do things they haven't been asked to do before," Flanagan said. "I thought Abby Baumgartner and Brianna Hagen played hard. I think Hannah Herbst will be a really good player. From the results of this game, I think we need to spend 80 percent of our time in practice shooting."
Sigafus is the only player for the Warriors shooting 40 percent or better on the season.
"That kid (Sigafus) has kind of been our money player," Flanagan said. "It behooves us to get her touches."
The Ponies played a 2-3 zone throughout the game and had some success pressuring the ball and playing the passing lanes to cause havoc and get out on the break.
"I knew they would be looking for her (Sigafus)," Brokopp said. "We wanted to make it tough on her. We have been working on a 2-3 zone and this was a good time to test it. Sam and Jordan (Garrison) did a good job of playing up top and stealing the ball. Sam came from behind and got some steals. She goes hard. She's a spark for our team."
