Henwood leads Newton girls past Pella Christian

Twenty-four percent. That’s what Newton’s girls’ basketball team shoots from 3-point range.

The Cardinals fell behind Pella Christian 8-1 early in their Little Hawkeye Conference matchup on Friday night because Newton’s first four shots came from outside.

When the home team started attacking the basket, the offense got on track and momentum flipped.

Chassidy Henwood scored the team’s first 12 points and her early production got the Cardinals back into the game and free throws and defense did the rest as Newton downed the Eagles 52-44.

“We were shooting too many 3s early,” Newton head girls coach Eric Vander Velden said. “Our first four shots were 3s. When Chassidy starting driving to the hoop is when we got going offensively.”

Henwood finished with 24 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the win. Newton trailed 8-1 in the first but Henwood made two free throws, scored twice inside and buried a mid-range jumper to get the Cardinals within 11-9 after one quarter.

The Eagles’ lead grew to eight in the second, but Newton again rallied. This time, Henwood was the distributor as Meg Callaghan scored inside and Victoria Reynolds nailed a 3-pointer.

Another bucket by Callaghan off an assist by Henwood and a Henwood layup tied the game at 23-all at halftime.

“We just needed to settle down and find our rhythm,” Henwood said about the slow start. “There were gaps in the zone so I tried to take advantage of that and get to the hoop.”

A fast start to the third quarter allowed Newton (4-13 overall, 2-10 in the conference) to create some separation.

Callaghan scored inside, Reynolds buried a jumper and Henwood scored in the lane before hitting two more free throws. Before that, PC starter Anna Bonnett picked up her fourth foul. And an already thin Pella Christian bench got thinner. Its best player, Allison Van Gorp, also battled foul trouble throughout the game.

Free throws then became important and Newton was 16-of-21 for the game.

“That’s why we work on free throws,” Vander Velden said. “If we don’t make our free throws, it’s a lot different game.”

With Newton up 31-26, Pella Christian (8-11, 3-7) went to a full-court press. But the Cardinals scored four straight off it to go up 35-26. It was 37-34 after three quarters.

Bonnett got away with her fifth foul early in the fourth quarter and took advantage of her opportunity to stay on the floor with back-to-back buckets. That put the Eagles back in front.

It started an 8-2 run for the visitors as Van Gorp also scored twice inside.

Bonnett eventually did foul out and a large chunk of the final 4 minutes of the game became a free-throw shooting contest for the Cardinals.

Callaghan missed her first two but after that Newton was 9-of-11 down the stretch. Callaghan hit two and Henwood buried six.

“It’s very crucial to make our free throws. That could have been the difference between winning and losing,” Henwood said.

Perhaps the biggest play of the game came with 57 seconds on the clock. Aurora Nehring grabbed her own miss inside, converted the putback and got fouled. She made the free throw to put her team up five.

Both Vander Velden and Henwood thought the play gave the Cardinals some much-needed momentum heading into the final minute.

“That was huge. That made it a five-point game,” Vander Velden said. “I talked to her about driving to the lane more. There are opportunities for her to do that.”

Callaghan complimented Henwood with 14 points and eight rebounds and Reynolds chipped in seven points, three rebounds, four assists and three steals. Nearing tallied three points, six boards and four assists and Kealey Manning grabbed six rebounds.

Van Gorp finished right at her season average with 17 points. Vander Velden thought his team defended her well.

“We played well on the defensive end,” he said. “We did a good job on Van Gorp tonight. She only had seven in the first half. Nehring and Manning played in front of Van Gorp and that helped. She’s a load and we never have to play her again.”

Notes: Callaghan played the game with a black eye after being hit in the face in Newton’s previous game. “I think it’s affecting her sight some, but she made two big free throws after missing two,” Vander Velden said. … Newton won for the second time in three games despite turning the ball over 20 times. … The Cardinals outscored the Eagles 29-21 in the second half.