Despite a season-high total in points, Aberdeen Christian was unable to hold off Waverly-South Shore Thursday night.
The Coyotes pulled away from a three-point halftime lead to record a 45-36 non-conference girls’ basketball win at the Christian School Gym.
The visitors set the tone early, scoring 13 of the game’s first 14 points.
“Was really happy to see us fight. They came out and punched us in the mouth with a 13-1 run to start the game. Then we crawled back and it was 17-20 at halftime,” said Christian coach Matt Rohrbach. “Super exciting to see that kind of mentality that we weren’t going to roll over and die. Effort was there all night. I’m excited to build and continue to get better.”
Christian, which set a season in high in offensive production by 11 points, clawed back into the game through a balanced offense with four players scoring in the second quarter.
“Having a balanced scoring attack is definitely ideal. We are still growing and understanding areas to be aggressive,” said Rohrbach. “Sophia (Eichler) and Jolie (Fogarty) did a really nice job attacking the basket tonight, which opened up a lot for the other girls.”
Fogarty led the way with 11 points on the night, followed by seven from Eichler. Reagan Jett, Ari Johnson, and Molleigh Hofer followed with six each.
Waverly-South Shore also had a strong offensive attack that caused problems for the Knights at times. Jolene Krantz and Carlee Mushitz topped the Coyotes with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Jaina Johnson contributed nine points.
Christian’s defense had a strong second quarter with numerous blocks and steals, while holding Waverly-South Shore to just six points in the period, allowing the Knights to get back in the game.
“That starts with Ari. She is our anchor. We try to run as much to her as we can,” said Rohrbach. “Sophia really battled down low tonight as well with Carlee and then Reagan, Jacie (Fogarty), Molleigh and Jolie did a really nice job putting pressure on the ball.”
Christian, 0-5 on the season, is right back at it on Saturday afternoon hosting Waubay-Summit (off to a 4-1 start) at 2 p.m. The contest is part of a girls-boys doubleheader.
WAVERLY-SOUTH SHORE (3-2): Jolene Krantz 6 0-1 13, Dashaya Koch 1 2-4 4, Jaina Johnson 2 4-4 9, Carlee Mushitz 5 0-0 10, Annie Stricherz 2 1-2 7, Brianna Gottschalk 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 7-11 45.
ABERDEEN CHRISTIAN (0-5): Ari Johnson 3 0-0 6, Jolie Fogarty 4 2-4 11, Molleigh Hofer 3 0-0 6, Sophia Eichler 2 3-10 7, Reagan Jett 3 0-0 6. Totals 15 5-14 36.
Waverly-South Shore 14 20 35 45
Aberdeen Christian 5 17 26 36
3-point field goals – Krantz; Johnson, Stricherz 2, Fogarty. Total fouls – Waverly-South Shore 14; Aberdeen Christian 11.
