Panthers bounce back to top North Cedar

     Monticello bounced back from a loss in a big way, defeating North Cedar 66-20 in a River Valley Conference home girls basketball game Nov. 30.

     It helped the Panthers put aside a defeat three days earlier, a 41-31 home loss to Bellevue Nov. 27.

     Against North Cedar, the Panthers (2-1, 2-1) wasted no time taking control; they jumped to a 21-2 lead by the end of the first quarter, and opened it to a 42-6 margin by halftime.

     Three Panthers scored in double figures: Jordan Kuper led with 14 points, Maddie Fellinger added 13, and Gabrielle Steiner came off the bench to total 12 points and four assists.

     Sydney Hansen had eight points, and Carly Hayen had six. Tori McDonald made five assists and five steals to lead the team in both categories. Fellinger had four steals. Kuper blocked three shots.

     In the Tuesday game against Bellevue – ranked 11^th in the state in Class 2A – the visiting Comets jumped to a 13-3 lead, and held a 13-7 advantage at the end of the first quarter. The Panthers gained ground in the second period, cutting the margin to a single point on two occasions, but trailed 16-14 at halftime.

     The teams traded scores in the third quarter, with the Comets emerging as 26-21 leaders with one period to play.

     The margin was still five, 30-25, with five minutes to play, but Bellevue went on a 9-0 run to open a 39-25 advantage with 2:33 left, and the Panthers trailed by double digits the rest of the way.

     Kuper recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Hayen had six points, and Steiner had five points, four assists and two steals. McDonald had four rebounds and blocked two shots. Fellinger made two assists.

Nov. 27

Bellevue  13  3 10 15 – 41

Monti          7   7   7 10 – 31

     BELLEVUE (41) – Kailey Miller 1-3 1-3 3, Alyssa Rubel 2-5 0-0 6, Lindsey Banowetz 1-8 6-6 8, Teresa Paulsen 1-5 0-0 2, Giana Michels 6-18 8-12 22, Maddie Schmidt 0-2 0-0 0, Brianna Laughlin 0-1 0-0 0, Sally Paulsen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 11-42 15-21 41.

     MONTICELLO (31) – Tori McDonald 0-5 0-0 0, Maddie Fellinger 1-8 1-2 3, Sydney Hansen 0-3 0-0 0, Aspen Gillmore 1-2 0-0 2, Jordan Kuper 6-13 3-6 15, Carly Hayen 3-5 0-3 6, Gabrielle Steiner 2-6 0-0 5, Gabrielle Guilford 0-0 0-0 0, Emily Schlarmann 0-0 0-0 0, Karli Recker 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-42 4-11 31.

     Three-pointers: Rubel 2, Michels 2; Steiner.

     Rebounds: Monticello 32 (Kuper 12), Bellevue 24.

     Total fouls: Monticello 16, Bellevue 10.

Nov. 30

N. Cedar    2    4  16   8 – 20

Monti       21  21 16   8 – 66

     MONTICELLO (66) – Tori McDonald 2-10 0-0 4, Maddie Fellinger 5-10 1-2 13, Sydney Hansen 2-3 4-4 8, Aspen Gillmore 1-5 0-0 2, Jordan Kuper 6-6 0-0 14, Gabrielle Steiner 5-12 1-2 12, Carly Hayen 3-8 0-0 6, Beka Prull 2-4 1-2 5, Gabrielle Guilford 1-6 0-1 2, Emily Schlarmann 0-2 0-0 0, Karli Recker 0-1 0-0 0, DeLainy Fellinger 0-0 0-0 0, Lydia Recker 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-67 7-11 66.

     Three-pointers: Fellinger 2, Kuper 2, Steiner.

     Rebounds: Monticello 39 (Hayen 6, Kuper 5, McDonald 5, Guilford 5), North Cedar

     Total fouls: Monticello 8.