KEOTA 

Beginning a brand-new basketball season on a strong note, both the Lady Lions and the Huskies went undefeated at the annual Four Corners Shootout Tournament (hosted by Keota this year) taking place on Nov. 22-23.

Lone Tree Results

On day one of the tournament, Lone Tree matched up against the Iowa Valley Tigers. This battle between feline themed mascots went the way of the Lady Lions as they picked up their first victory of the season, 48-27.

The score remained close after the first frame, but then the Lady Lions found more of a rhythm on offense to outscore the Tigers 17-8 in the second to go into the half with a 13-point advantage.

Nurturing their lead, Lone Tree went on to score 10 points in both the third and fourth quarters. Also helping the Lady Lions secure the victory was quality defense as they held Iowa Valley to single digit scoring in every quarter.

“Our first group did a great job all night defensively. We’ve got some things we can tighten up and work on, especially offensively,” Lone Tree girls basketball coach said after the game against Iowa Valley. “It’s the first night. You’re going to have nerves. Things are going to take time to come to you, and overall, I thought our girls did great.”

As a team the Lady Lions tallied 17 steals with junior Finley Jacque nabbing four, the team high.

In the win, it was Jacque who led the way with 13 points and not too far behind with a 10-point night was senior Cate Sexton. Fellow senior Rylee Shield was the rebound leader with eight boards.

The second day held a similar outcome for Lone Tree, picking up another win, this time over the host school Keota, 55-48.

With the Eagles looking for a bounce back victory after suffering a loss on day one, they kept pace with Lone Tree throughout this contest. Keota trailed by five at the half, but then outscored Lone Tree in the third to enter the final frame facing a three-point deficit.

Keeping their composure despite the Keota rally, the Lady Lions showed up on defense once again, limiting the Eagles to just seven points to stave off the comeback and earn their second win in as many days.

Scoring 13 points again to once again lead the team on offense was Jacque. The junior also came up with three steals and dished out a team high four assists.

Ava Christofferson was the second highest scorer for Lone Tree with 11 and it was a double double night for senior Vivian Zaruba, scoring 10 to go along with a team best 13 rebounds.

Highland Results

The young Highland girls basketball team showed some grit on day one of the Four Corners Shootout, rallying in the second half to earn their first victory of the season over the host school Keota, 58-53.

Trailing by six after two quarters of play, the Huskies played a clean second half, limiting turnover and fouls, to rally back with a big 19-point third quarter to enter the final frame with a three-point lead.

“It was an ugly game for sure on both sides with the amount of turnovers in the first half, but both teams settled down in the second half to make a good game out of it,” Highland girls basketball coach Jody Fink said about Highland’s game against Keota.

The fourth frame saw Keota tie the game at 46-46, but the Huskies went on a 12-7 run to take back the lead and ultimately keep the Eagles at bay to secure the win.

It was a more than impressive varsity debut for freshman Kamryn Fink, leading the Huskies with a double double (20 points and 20 rebounds) and grabbing a team high five steals.

Scoring the second most points with 13 was junior Mackenzie Davis and delivering a team high six assists was sophomore Hailey Brun.

  “We are a very young team and going to be frustrating at times with some growing pains, but I am proud of the girls for fighting through some adversity and pulling out the win,” coach Fink said.

Day two saw the Huskies match up against Iowa Valley and it was another victorious outing for Highland, defeating the Tigers, 54-41.

In similar fashion to their last game, the Huskies went into the half facing a deficit but thanks to a big 18-point third quarter they went into the fourth holding a eight point advantage.

Carrying their momentum from one quarter to another, Highland outscored Iowa Valley in the final frame, 16-12, to cement their second victory of the season.

It was another double double night for Fink, as she led the Huskies in points (18), rebounds (11), and assists (6). Also reaching double digits was Brun, who put up 12 points to go along with seven boards and a team high three steals.

“Very proud of our girls for coming out of the Four Corners Shootout undefeated.  They left it all on the court,” coach Fink said. “The youth is only going to get better as the season goes on and the upperclassmen leadership is awesome.”