Newton girls lose to host Eagles, downed by Knoxville at WFA

PELLA — Pella Christian’s girls basketball team pulled away in the fourth quarter but did not make a shot from the field during a 40-26 win over Newton on Friday night.

The Cardinals turned the ball over 30 times and shot 27.5 percent from the floor in the Little Hawkeye Conference road loss.

“We just struggle to score. We had opportunities but just didn’t make enough shots,” Newton girls basketball coach Eric Vander Velden said.

The Eagles led 16-14 at halftime, but outscored the Cardinals 24-12 in the second half. They were 16-of-22 from the free-throw line in the fourth and 19-of-28 for the game. Newton attempted two free throws.

“We had five turnovers in our first six possessions so I pulled all of the starters except Audrey (Rausch),” Vander Velden said. “We were forcing things way too much. We have to take care of the ball.”

Audrey Rausch led the Cardinals (3-16 overall, 1-11 in the LHC) with 11 points, two rebounds, four steals and two blocks and Rori Nehring registered six points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and four blocks.

Kya Butler finished with five points and three assists, Sophia Reynolds and Kealey Manning each grabbed five boards, Emma Rogers had four rebounds and Jaz Cooper pulled down three.

Joslyn Terpstra helped the Eagles (3-16, 1-11) snap a 14-game losing skid with 21 points, seven rebounds and seven steals. She hit two 3-pointers and was 8-of-16 at the line.

Faith Kacmarynski registered 11 points, seven rebounds and five steals. The Eagles shot 25.7 percent from the floor, made 3-of-19 from 3-point range and turned the ball over 21 times.

Knoxville 63, Newton 37

DES MOINES — Knoxville broke open a tight first half with a dominating second two quarters during a 63-37 non-conference win at Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday afternoon.

Newton trailed by three at halftime but was outscored 44-21 in the second half. Knoxville used a 17-1 run during a four-minute stretch in the third quarter to pull away.

“Our 2-3 zone was a effective in the first half, but Knoxville made a bunch of 3-pointers in the second half,” Vander Velden said. “Knoxville came into the game shooting 23 percent from 3 but hit 11 in the game.”

A 3-pointer by Rausch tied the game at 19-all in the third before the Panthers’ big run.

The Cardinals shot 22.4 percent from the floor, 3-of-15 from 3-point range and turned the ball over 20 times. Newton out-rebounded Knoxville 33-31.

Newton was 7-of-8 from the line in the first half but made just 5-of-13 in the final two quarters.

Rausch had eight points and four steals and Manning chipped in eight points and four rebounds off the bench. She scored six in the third.

Reynolds registered six points, six rebounds and three assists and Nehring added three points and two boards. Rogers grabbed five rebounds and Butler dished out two assists.

Off the bench, Marissa Cunningham and Alex Riney each had four points and two rebounds, Emily Wermager grabbed three boards and Cooper scored three points.

“It was a great experience playing at Wells Fargo Arena,” Vander Velden said. “We wanted to win, but we also wanted the girls to have fun and enjoy the experience.”

Emma Dunkin led Knoxville (10-9) with 24 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and four steals. She’s averaging 11 points per game this season.

Hannah Dunkin, who averages just less than 10 points per game, scored 18 points on six made treys and dished out three assists. The Panthers hit eight of their 11 3-pointers in the second half. They averaged 4.5 made treys per game.

Knoxville shot 46 percent from the floor, 11-of-23 from 3-point range and 8-of-11 from the line. The Panthers committed 18 turnovers.