L-S girls win eighth straight, rout HLV

SULLY — One night after Cally Gibbs put in a career-high 27 points, Reagan McFarland set a new career-high and her 24 points led Lynnville-Sully’s girls’ basketball team to a 60-35 win over HLV on Friday night during South Iowa Cedar League action.

The Hawks outscored the Warriors 25-10 in the first quarter and 24-10 in the third, made eight 3-pointers and scored 22 points off 34 HLV turnovers.

“When we get out and put ball pressure on and are focused we are pretty good but when we try to put it into cruise control we struggle,” L-S head girls coach Jerry Hulsing said. “We did a good job of getting after it on the defensive end for most of the game.”

Lynnville-Sully (15-2 overall, 11-2 in conference play) has won eight straight games. And the biggest reason why is defense, according to Gibbs.

“We have been working a lot on man-to-man defense in practice,” Gibbs said. “We are getting good ball pressure and denying our player the ball well right now.”

On the offensive end, the night belonged to McFarland, who was 5-of-7 from 3-point range.

The Hawks and Warriors were tied at 10-all early. A 15-0 run helped L-S get control of the scoreboard and the Hawks never trailed after that.

The big run included back-to-back 3-pointers by McFarland, a Gibbs triple and back-to-back buckets inside by Krystal Van Dyke.

The Hawks led 25-10 after eight minutes and the lead was 30-15 in the second following another 3 and two free throws by McFarland.

“I knew I was hot in the beginning,” McFarland said. “My teammates helped me out a lot. Good passers make good shooters. The penetration and kick really worked tonight.”

Hulsing loves the balance his team has on the offensive end. He believes the Hawks always have five players on the floor who can score.

One night it could be Gibbs, who leads the team at 12.5 points per game. Or it could be McFarland, who is second at 11 points per game. Van Dyke also averages double-figures.

“Each night we try to find the hot hand and keep feeding them the ball,” Gibbs said. “Anyone on this team is capable of being the top scorer.”

Six different players scored at halftime, highlighted by McFarland’s 17 points. The Hawks led HLV (6-9, 5-9) 35-19 at the break.

L-S used another big run in the third to extend the margin. The Hawks began the second half on a 21-2 run and scored 16 straight at one point. That stretch included points from five different players.

“I love that. It’s awesome,” Hulsing said of the balance. “If you say you have to guard that kid, the other kid you may not be as worried about is going to have a big night. We just try to move the ball and find the open kid. We talk about and get excited for the extra pass.”

The Hawks led by 30 after three quarters but scored just one point in the fourth. They still won by 25.

McFarland added five steals to her 24 points. Gibbs was 3-of-9 from deep and scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds.

Caitlin Alberts chipped in 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists, Van Dyke had nine points and three rebounds and Korinne Jansen tallied four points, five rebounds and three assists. Meleisha Vos grabbed four boards.

Each night we try to find the hot hand and keep feeding them the ball. Anyone on this team is capable of being the top scorer.

—  L-S senior Cally Gibbs

The Hawks shot 37 percent from the floor but won the game because they hit 8-of-19 from deep, made 14-of-19 from the foul line and swiped 22 steals.

In their last three games, the Hawks have outscored their opponents 191-66.

“The second half of the season has been strong for us,” McFarland said. “The loss to North Mahaska opened our eyes to what we have to do. We have executed a lot better since that game.”

HLV’s best player, Karlee Timm, battled foul trouble but still led the Warriors with 11 points and six rebounds.