Last night, the visiting Grinnell girls basketball team scored just two more points than committed fouls in the first quarter of play. The Tigers’ nine points hardly outpaced the seven first-quarter penalities in a game that was physical from the start.

It took just one possession by the Newton girls (3-6, 0-3) for Grinnell (3-6, 1-3) to institute a tough, full-court press that upped the pace of the game considerably — much to Newton coach Brandon Sharp’s liking.

“We want to play up and down the court, so that was great for us,” he said. “We got some opportunities for fast breaks and layups.”

With the second quarter came the double-bonus for Newton, who failed to capitalize on a handful of free throw opportunities. That, paired with the strong shooting of Grinnell’s Taegan James, helped lift the Tigers to a 26-18 halftime lead.

Despite the offensive effort from senior Kaylie Rhoads, who finished the game with 14 points, the Tigers pulled away in the second half, downing the Cards 62-45.

Senior Michelle Marquis contributed eight for Newton, while sophomores Michaela Jacobsen and Sarah Kalkhoff followed with six points each. Senior Kristin Samson added five and freshman Anna Latcham drained four for the Cardinals.