April 25, 2024

Offense fades in CMB girls’ loss to Hawks

By Troy Hyde

Collins-Maxwell/Baxter junior Mikayla Eslinger (42) battles South Hamilton’s Diana Garcia for a loose ball on Friday during Heart of Iowa Conference action in Baxter. Eslinger led the Raiders with 11, Garcia led the Hawks with 15 and South Hamilton won the game 31-20. (Troy Hyde)

BAXTER — The offensive end of the floor continues to be a struggle for the Collins-Maxwell/Baxter girls’ basketball team. Injuries continue to hamper the Raiders progress.

Playing through two more injuries, CMB scored 10 points in the opening quarter but put in just 10 the rest of the way during a 31-20 Senior Night loss to South Hamilton in Heart of Iowa Conference play Friday night.

CMB led 10-7 after one quarter but did not score in the second quarter to allow the Hawks a little bit of momentum. South Hamilton (2-15, 2-11) was up for the challenge, grabbing the lead for good with a Diana Garcia 3-pointer late in the third quarter.

“We just can’t score,” CMB coach Jamie Zabel said. “We got beat up inside tonight. When it’s three on one and two on one in there, it’s tough to score.

“(South Hamilton) did a good job backing off and making our guards beat them, and our guards didn’t beat them from outside.”

That trey started an 11-0 run by the Hawks that also included four free throws by Garcia, who finished with a game-high 15 points.

The 11-0 spurt put the visitors up 24-14 and it held up as CMB lost its fourth straight.

The victory ended a 10-game losing streak for the Hawks, whose only two wins this year have come against CMB.

Mikayla Eslinger led the Raiders (2-15, 1-13) with 10 points, nine rebounds and three steals in the loss.

CMB played the game without senior Carter Larson and junior Megan Ritter because of injuries.

Larson suffered a high ankle sprain in the loss to Prairie City-Monroe earlier in the week and Ritter is battling through a concussion. Ritter could play Monday against Grand View Christian.

That gave CMB just eight players in uniform.

“It’s been a tough year,” Zabel said.

The Raiders trailed by two after three but ran into trouble when junior Sydney Ziesman picked up her fourth and fifth fouls in the first minute of the fourth quarter. A technical foul on the CMB bench aided the Hawks’ game-clinching run.

“We tried to get some shooters on the floor, but we just couldn’t make shots,” Zabel said. “They made us beat them from outside, and we didn’t do it.”

The earlier meeting also featured a big fourth quarter for South Hamilton. The Hawks outscored CMB 10-3 in that one and won by two.

CMB junior Kathleen Baldwin had four points and 10 rebounds, while Ziesman scored four points and grabbed nine boards. Eslinger blocked three shots.

CMB plays at 6 p.m. Monday at Class 1A No. 8 and undefeated Grand View Christian. The Raiders play at 6 p.m. Friday in Baxter against Roland-Story.

South Hamilton 7-3-6-15—31

Collins-Maxwell/Baxter 10-0-4-6—20

South Hamilton (FG-3pt-FT-F-TP): Spindler 0-0-2-0, Woodall 1/1-0-0-3, Moss 2/1-1-1-6, Holt 0-0-0-0, Garcia 3/2-7-3-15, Hodnefield 1-2-2-4, Grubb 0-0-1-0, Friest 0-1-2-1, Wicks 1-0-1-2. Totals: 8/4-11-14-31.

CMB (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Hinegardner 0-0-3-0, Jessen 0-0-2-0, Condon 0-0-1-0, Ziesman 1-2-5-4, Baldwin 0-4-2-4, Jones 0-0-0-0, Wierson 1-0-1-2, Eslinger 5-0-1-11. Totals: 7-6-15-20.