PELLA — Newton High’s girls are playing some of their best basketball of the season. On Friday, they played their third ranked opponent in five games since the semester break. They just haven’t been able to break through with a victory in those three contests.
The Cardinal girls had Class 2A eighth-ranked Pella Christian down by 10 points, 45-35, with seven minutes to play in Friday’s Little Hawkeye Conference game. A 3-pointer by junior Randi Walters opened the fourth quarter for Newton.
Newton didn’t score again. Pella Christian went on a 17-0 run to finish the game, winning 52-45.
“We competed well. We didn’t handle their pressure in the fourth quarter,” Newton head coach Brandon Sharp said.
“We had four straight possessions of forced turnovers. We just needed to execute better in the last five minutes,” Sharp said.
Newton is averaging 46 points a game in its last five games. The Cardinals have lost to Class 4A No. 4 Grinnell and No. 1 Pella in LHC action in that stretch. They have gone 2-3 and face 4A’s 12th-ranked Boone at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at home non-conference game.
“We’ll get better and won’t let one slip away like this again. This loss is on me,” Sharp said. “I’m very proud of how we competed against another quality team. We are getting better each time out. I’m glad we get a chance at everyone again.”
The Cardinals’ loss at Pella Christian concluded the first round of conference action. Newton, which is 5-7 overall and 2-5 in LHC play, start the second round Friday at home against Class 5A top-ranked and undefeated Indianola.
Until the fourth quarter, the Cardinals had the Eagles scrambling for traction. Newton pushed out to a 10-3 lead in the first quarter, but it was 10-10 at the end of the period.
The Cardinals trailed 17-13 then went on an 8-0 run on a basket by Ryanne Rausch and back-to-back 3-pointers by Courtney Jacobsen. Rausch, who finished with a game-high 17 points, had a bucket to put the Cardinals up 23-22 and Ellie Horn’s two free throws gave Newton a 25-22 halftime lead.
The teams were tied at 27-all with 5:48 left in the third quarter when Newton reeled off 10 unanswered points. The Eagles closed to within four, 39-35, but a trey by Jacobsen had the Cardinals up 42-35 heading into the fourth quarter.
Jacobsen scored 14 points, hitting four 3-pointers, for the Cardinals. Rausch had eight of the team’s 37 rebounds. Randi Walters, whose trey opened the game for Newton, had six rebounds and four assists. Taylor Shipley and Horn each had seven rebounds.
Cailey Terpstra led the Eagles with 16 points. Kaley Wilson and Morgan Fopma had 10 points apiece.
The Newton junior varsity girls won 31-24 against Pella Christian. Peyton Maher led the Cardinals with nine points while Abbie Barr and Harlie Durr each scored six points. Emily Valtman had four points. Lakin Jenkins, Mackenzie Baker and Addy Blom had two points apiece.
Newton 10-15-17-3—45
Pella Christian 10-12-13-17—52
Newton (FG/3-pt): Rausch 7/1-0-4-17, Forsyth 0-0-1-0, Walters 0/2-0-3-6, Shipley 0-0-2-0, Jacobsen 1/4-0-14, Horn 2-3-0-7, Bestell 0-1-1-1, Blom 0-0-1-0. TOTALS: 10/7-4-13-45
Pella Christian (FG/3-pt): Wilson 1/2-2-1-10, Terpstra 1/3-5-2-16, Mitrisin 1-1-0-3, Husiman 1-0-2-2, Bandstra 3-2-2-8, Fopma 5-0-3-10, Baugh 1-0-3-2. TOTALS: 13/5-10-13-52.
Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
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