March 29, 2024

Cardinal girls deck Eagles

Playing with a lead on the basketball court is not something Newton High’s Cardinal girls have done much of in recent history. Cardinal head coach Brandon Sharp said it hadn’t happened in 15 games.

The Cardinals were on a 10-game losing streak, which dated back to the second half of last season. They had lost their first four games this season.

So, it was good to open Little Hawkeye Conference play at home Friday night against the last team they had beaten — Pella Christian. The Cardinals broke into the win column for the 2014-15 season with a 64-50 win over the Eagles.

Newton trailed just once, 7-6 with 2:03 left in the first quarter. Ryanne Rausch scored to put the Cardinals back in front, 8-7, to trigger a 10-0 run spanning the final two minutes of the first quarter and the opening three minutes of the second quarter to gain the advantage against visiting Pella Christian.

Sydney Jenkins, who scored the opening basket of the game, ended the first quarter with a basket to put Newton up 10-7. Hannah Rhoads connected for two in the second period followed by back-to-back baskets by Jessica Reynolds.

“We played quicker tonight and our decision-making was better,” Sharp said. “We’re getting better every day with our new offense. Defensively, we were great in the first half. We put good pressure not the ball.”

Pella Christian’s 6-2 senior post player Hannah Beltman was a non-factor in the game, spending most of it on the Eagle bench in foul trouble. Beltman had her first two fouls and went to the bench by the 4:44 mark of the first period. She went back into the game in the second quarter but with 20 seconds left with her third foul.

“I won’t lie it was a lot easier to get the basket without the 6-2 girl in there, but that was never our plan — to get her in foul trouble. It worked out that way,” Sharp said.

Another factor for the Cardinals was a good night of shooting the ball from the outside. Rhoads drained three of her four 3-pointer attempts on her way to a game-high 17 points. The Cardinals shot 44 percent, 23-of-52, from the field overall.

Newton’s Macy Leonard and Rhoads hit back-to-back 3s from almost the same spot in the final 25 seconds of the first half. The Cardinals held a 27-14 lead at the break. They extended their lead to 43-17 by the midway point of the third quarter.

Newton took a 20-point lead, 50-30, into the fourth quarter. Reynolds, who had 12 points on the night, and Rhoads pushed it to 54-30 in the first minute of play.

Pella Christian made a mini-run to get within 16 — 56-42 — by the 3:50 mark.The Eagles made the most of going to the free-throw line, hitting 20-of-28 for 71 percent. Brooke Mitrisin was the lone Eagle in double-figure scoring. She went 10-of-13 at the line as she scored 14 points

Jenkins, Michaela Jacobsen and Alex Hutchinson walked to the charity stripe for the Cardinals down the stretch and hit 6-of-8 to seal the win. Newton cashed in on 14-of-27 free throw attempts for the game.

Jenkins finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Rausch had two assists. M. Jacobsen pulled down nine of the team’s 50 rebounds.

“The first four games were tough on us, but the girls forged a strong chemistry. When things got tough tonight, I never felt we were starting to unravel,” Sharp said. “This is a good stepping stone for us.”

Newton has won three straight against Pella Christian. The last game Newton’s girls won was Jan. 28, which was a 47-36 victory at home over the Eagles.

Newton (1-4) hosts Marshalltown Thursday in non-conference play.

Newton’s junior varsity beat Pella Christian 49-18. Courtney Jacobsen, Savanah Mahan and Jaci Twaddle had nine points each for Newton. Jessie Smith tossed in eight while Taylor Moon and Rausch each had six points. Ellie Horn scored two.

The Newton freshmen girls beat Chariton 45-28 Friday night. Marcelina Marvelli led Newton with 14 points and Taylor Ryan scored 10. Anna Forsyth had eight points followed by Ali Bestell and Randi Walters with six points each and Addy Blom scored four points.

Pella Christian  7-7-16-20—50

Newton  10-17-23-14—64

Pella Christian: Shannon 4-1-4-9, Anderson 0-3-1-3, Howerzyl 2-2-3-6, Terpstra 1-1-2-3, Mitrisin 2-10-1-14, Wilson 2-0-5-4, A. Vos 3-0-2-6, Beltman 1-1-4-3, N. Vos 0-2-2-2. TOTALS: 15-20-24-50.

Newton (FG/3-pt): Rausch 3-1-1-7, Jenkins 3-5-0-11, Leonard 0/1-1-0-4, Hutchinson 1-1-0-3, Reynolds 6-0-4-12, Shipley 0-2-4-2, C. Jacobsen 0-1-0-1, M. Jacobsen 1-3-4-5, Rhoads 4/3-0-4-17.

TOTALS:: 19/4-14-17-64

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at 641-792-3121 ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com.