Knights' mid-game surge ousts Panthers

     A mid-game run by Davenport Assumption proved to be the difference, as the Monticello Panthers were handed a 47-36 defeat in the semifinal round of the Class 3A, Region 4 Girls Basketball Tournament.

     The game was played Wednesday, Feb. 13 in Davenport, and the loss ended the Panthers’ season.

     Monticello played evenly with Assumption for most of the first half. The Knights took an early 7-2 lead, but the Panthers came back to tie it, as Carly Hayen scored on a layup off a quick pass from Sydney Hansen with two seconds left in the first quarter, tying the game 12-12.

     “I thought we did a great job of attacking them and getting opportunities at the free throw line,” Monticello coach Donnie Kremer said. “I also thought we did a great job of executing our half-court man defense and handling their press.”

     The Panthers took an 18-16 lead midway through the second quarter on a layup by Gabrielle Guilford. Assumption seized control of the game by going on a 14-1 run over an eight-minute stretch from the last half of the second quarter to the first half of the third.

     That gave the Knights a 30-19 lead with 4:10 left in the third quarter.

     “We were unable to convert easy shots, and they were really defending our shooters on the outside,” Kremer said. “We got a little passive and were not attacking like we had earlier.”

     A three-point basket by Maddie Fellinger cut the margin to eight, but Assumption opened up a 36-22 advantage by the time the quarter was over.

     Monticello’s full-court pressure produced a quick six-point flurry early in the fourth quarter. Gabrielle Steiner stole the ball and scored on a layup. Karli Recker and Hansen then went a combined 4-for-4 from the free throw line, and the Panthers trailed 36-28 with 6:46 to go.

     “We switched to man and said we wanted to give it everything we had,” Kremer said. “We were able to get a few turnovers and convert them into easy points.”

     Assumption came back with the next five points, however, on a basket by Allie Timmons and a three-pointer by Lauren Herrig, to lead 41-28 with 5:12 remaining.

     A put-back by Jordan Kuper got the margin down to a single digit one last time, 43-34 with 2:55 to play, but the Panthers couldn’t get any closer.

     Fellinger finished with nine points, while Kuper had eight points and eight rebounds. Steiner had five rebounds. Hansen had three steals and two assists.

     Assumption made seven shots from three-point range, while Monticello made just one, going 1-for-11 from beyond the arc.

     Monticello finished with a record of 12-7, including 10-6 in the River Valley Conference.

     “I think we definitely exceeded my expectations,” Kremer said. “We lost a lot of valuable practice time with the weather. We were in every game, and played very hard throughout the season.

     “The girls were a lot of fun to coach. They came to practice and every game with a positive attitude.”

     It was the final Monticello game for seniors Maddie Fellinger and Sydney Hansen.

     “Losing both Maddie and Sydney will be tough,” the coach said. “They both had very good senior years and were great leaders on and off the floor for us.

     “Maddie is a four-year letter-winner and a three-year starter. She has given a lot of her time to the program. Sydney has been a three-year member of the varsity team and has come a long way as a player and a person.”

Feb. 13

Monti    12   6    4  14 – 36

D.A.        12 12 12 11 – 47

     MONTICELLO (36) – Tori McDonald 1-5 0-0 2, Maddie Fellinger 2-11 4-4 9, Sydney Hansen 1-3 2-2 4, Karli Recker 0-1 3-4 3, Jordan Kuper 3-6 2-6 8, Carly Hayen 2-4 0-0 4, Gabrielle Steiner 1-5 2-2 4, Gabrielle Guilford 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 11-38 11-13 36.

     DAVENPORT ASSUMPTION (47) – Katie Anderson 4-10 2-2 13, Lauren Herrig 3-11 2-2 10, Olivia Wardlow 0-4 1-2 1, Allie Timmons 5-11 0-0 12, Corey Whitlock 3-7 1-2 7, Chaney Steffen 1-5 0-0 2, Dawsen Dorsey 1-2 0-0 2, Anna Wohlers 0-2 0-3 0. Totals 17-52 6-11 47.

     Three-pointers: Fellinger; Anderson 3, Herrig 2, Timmons 2.

     Rebounds: Assumption 43, Monticello 25 (Kuper 8, Steiner 5).

     Total fouls: Assumption 20, Monticello 14.