Bears split games, overall record is 4-6
by Coach Kristi Finck
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| Corrina Tindal grabbed seven rebounds during the game against the Staples-Motley Cardinals on Thursday, January 10 helping the Bears to a hard fought win over the Cardinals 54-52. -photo by Matt Ganz |
Last week the Lady Bears played two tough opponents; the Brandon-Evansville Chargers and the Staples-Motley Cardinals. Both games were very close, but the Bears were only able to finish with one victory for the week. Their overall record now stands at 4-6.
The Bears knew that the Chargers were going to be a very good team and that they would have to play one of their best games of the season to pull off the win. The Lady Bears played tough for most of the game. The Bears played a solid first half as they were tied at 29. Coming out after the halftime break the Bears made a quick run as they worked the ball inside trying to get B-E into foul trouble, but tough play from the Chargers brought the game tied at 39. Both teams had their share of 5-6 point scoring spurts throughout the game. With 5 minutes left in the game the score was B-H 48, B-E 49, it was then that the Chargers changed their pressure defense to a sagging 2-3, this hurt the Bears as they could not get the ball to drop in the basket. For three minutes, the Bears went scoreless and the Chargers made 3 easy baskets inside and went 7-7 from the free-throw line. The final score of the game was B-H 52, B-E 64.
Kendra Stokes led all scores with 20, she also had a career high 19 rebounds and 7 steals. Jessica Finck was the only other Bear in double digits with 16; she also led the team in assists with 8. Other Bears scoring were Morgan Kapphahn and Sarah VanDenheuvel with 5 apiece, and Corrina Tindal, Arei Stokes and Brittany Kimber each scoring 2 points.
On Thursday night, the Lady Bears pulled off a close game against the Staples-Motley Cardinals. The Cardinals are a class AA team and have been playing against some tough competition so when the game began the Bears had to get used to their quickness and physical defensive pressure. Just after 5 minutes of play the Bears lost starter Morgan Kapphahn due to a lower leg injury. The Bears played rather tight the rest of the first half as they found themselves down by a score of 23-29. In the second half, the Cardinals came out and made a quick run on the Bears as they made a trio of 3 point baskets, but the Lady Bears did not fold. This is one of their strengths as a team, as they never seem to quit. After a time out the Bears made a few defensive changes. These changes made for a much needed momentum change. The Bears were able to cause the Cardinals to turn the ball over, which in return the Bears were able to score. For 6 minutes and 46 seconds the Bears went on a 16-0 run. With 3:54 seconds left in the game the Bears took the final lead. The score at the buzzer was B-H 54, S-M 52.
The Bears had many girls step up and do some big things in this game. Kendra Stokes led the Bears with 18 points and 6 steals. Sarah VanDenheuvel had a career high 13 points. Arei Stokes also had a career high 12 points, as she went 10 for 13 from the free-throw line. Jessica Finck scored 6 points and had a career high 9 assists. Also scoring for the Bears were Mogan Kapphahn with 3 and Brittany Kimber added 2. Corrina Tindal and Arei Stokes led the team in rebounds as they each grabbed 7.
The Bears have a busy week ahead of them as they will be playing three games. On Tuesday they travel to Sebeka. On Thursday they are home against Ashby and then on Friday they travel north to take on Verndale. Each game is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m.