Freland’s 20 not enough in PCM’s loss to Knoxville

KNOXVILLE — Senior Regan Freland had 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists, but Prairie City-Monroe’s girls’ basketball team lost on the road to Knoxville, 60-37, on Tuesday night.

The Mustangs trailed by four after one quarter but were outscored 20-8 in the second quarter and never recovered. Katie Keitges led the Panthers with 29 points.

“We gave up too many points in the paint,” PCM coach Jeff Lindsay said. “We have to rotate better on defense. We’ve been working on it, but it comes down to trust and confidence. It’s new to them.”

Knoxville outscored PCM 23-16 in the second half.

Junior Lilli Baird had five points, and senior Sierra Foster and junior Celeste Wagaman both had four points. Senior Kate McCarthy had six rebounds and two assists and junior Riley Hjortshoj tallied two points and five rebounds. Senior Lexi Kuecker scored two points.

“It’s better to figure out this stuff now. We don’t play another game for a while so we have plenty of time to work on it,” Lindsay said.

The Mustangs (1-1) are off until they play Saydel at 6 p.m. on Dec. 6 in Des Moines.